Israel, Palestine, and the United Nations

The United States has requested a closed-door U.N. Security Council meeting for Feb. 6 at which President Donald Trump's son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, is to present the administration's new Mideast plan which is opposed by the Palestinian leadership, diplomats said.    

Turkey and Algeria have called for an emergency session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to discuss and vote on a draft resolution on protection of Palestinians.        

The UN General Assembly on Dec. 21 opened an emergency session to vote on a motion rejecting U.S recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.u

The UN General Assembly on Dec. 21 opened an emergency session to vote on a motion rejecting U.S recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.u

The US president has threatened to stop financial support for countries that vote at the UN in support of the draft resolution against his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. At the request of the Arab countries, the UN General Assembly convenes today a special session to discuss the situation in Jerusalem.

Turkey regrets the vetoing by the United States on Dec. 18 of a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for the U.S. declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital to be withdrawn, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said.

On Friday, The Washington Post published an op-ed by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in which she condemned the way in which the Human Rights Council (HRC) operates.

Haley wrote that Venezuela and Cuba having seats on the Human Rights Council is an affront to the international body, as both nations are rampant abusers of human rights:

For the first time since its inception in 2006, Russia will not be a member of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) after being narrowly beaten by Croatia in a vote. Saudi Arabia was successfully re-elected, despite criticism from human rights organizations.

Geopolitical considerations and the current battle on the ground in Syria are preventing the search for greater accountability on human rights issues in the ongoing conflict, according to diplomats in Geneva observing the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution on the 2015 report on Serbia.

The resolution was adopted with 50 votes in favor, 2 votes against and 4 abstentions, with the EP expected to debate the document and vote on it at the February 3-4 plenary session.