Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN
The Obama administration sought a seat only in 2009 in an effort to showcase how human rights were an important aspect of US foreign policy.
Before the United States joined, half the country-specific votes condemned Israel.
During the first six years the United States was a member, resolutions critical of Israel dropped to one-fifth. US membership also led to a sharp decrease in the number of special sessions that focused exclusively on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
“It’s true, the Human Rights Council continues to disproportionately focus on Israel,” said Peter Yeo, an official with the United Nations Foundation that connects the organisation with private and nongovernmental groups and foundations.
“But with US leadership, the attention Israel brought has dropped significantly. US leadership matters. We’re still the only ones with credibility on human rights on the world stage.”
The Trump administration’s irritation with the council makeup and its agenda has been telegraphed with drumbeat regularity by Haley.
A year ago, she denigrated it as a “forum for politics, hypocrisy and evasion,” and threatened a US exit if the council did not kick out abusive regimes and remove Item 7, the standing resolution critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
She repeated her ultimatum two weeks ago.
Few dispute the underlying reasons for the administration’s frustration with the council.
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