The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday decided to increase the presence of human rights monitors in the Gaza Strip after a report concluding that Israel´s shooting of Palestinian protesters could amount to crimes against humanity.
The Geneva-based Council issued a resolution "condemning Israel´s deliberate use of lethal force and other forms of excessive force."
The UN Council decided to send five UN officials to monitor "ongoing violations" during the protests.
The decision was passed with the support of 23 countries, mostly Arab and developing countries, while the resolution rejected eight countries including Austria, Bulgaria, Czech, Hungary and Ukraine. Other European countries were among the 15 abstentions.
More than 260 Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded in the major Oud marches that began in Gaza on March 30 last year, according to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The UN Human Rights Report, which was sent to the UN Human Rights Council, focuses on the dead and injured, but also acknowledged that organizers of the protests, including members of Hamas, encouraged the use of incendiary balloons that caused widespread destruction and fear for southern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report, whispering enthusiasm for "terrorist" activities in the Gaza-Israel border and firing rockets at Israel.
Israel will continue to exercise its right to self-defense and protect its citizens from terrorism and aggression, "Israel will not cooperate with the council in this regard," Israel´s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
A member of the Austrian mission in Geneva criticized the Gaza protest report, saying it "did not take into account the broader context of events on the Gaza border," including Hamas and mortar shells targeting Israel.
Three additional resolutions on support for the Palestinian right to self-determination, criticism of Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories and condemnation of Israeli settlements there have received broader support in the Human Rights Council than the resolution that strengthened monitoring in Gaza.
The United States, Israel´s biggest ally, withdrew from the council last year in protest against the "habit of the United Nations Council referring to Israel at every meeting and issuing multiple resolutions on it."
