Israel has criticised the “shameful decision” just taken by the United Nations Human Rights Council to probe “all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law” surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The resolution, which was carried by 24 of the council’s 47 members, is expected to give rise to a commission that will be highly critical of Israeli policy.

The UNHRC mandated “an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry” that will “investigate in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel all alleged violations of international humanitarian law.”

It will probe the context of recent friction and examine the “underlying root causes of recurrent tensions, instability and [the] protraction of conflict, including systematic discrimination and repression based on national, ethnic, racial or religious identity.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scathing: “Today's shameful decision is yet another example of the UN Human Rights Council's blatant anti-Israel obsession,” he declared. 

He portrayed the resolution as a PR victory for Hamas, as in his view it will strengthen voices that make excuses for its actions. He claimed: “Once again, an immoral automatic majority at the Council whitewashes a genocidal terrorist organisation that deliberately targets Israeli civilians while turning Gaza's civilians into human shields.”

He said that Israel, “a democracy acting legitimately to protect its citizens from thousands of indiscriminate rocket attacks,” has been presented as the "guilty party.” He insisted: “This travesty makes a mockery of international law and encourages terrorists worldwide."

Israel’s Foreign Ministry also reacted strongly, saying that the resolution automatically lacks any moral credibility because it failed to focus on Hamas’ attacks on Israel. 

It said in a statement: “Any resolution that fails to condemn the firing of over 4,300 rockets by a terror organisation at Israeli civilians, or even to mention the terror organisation Hamas, is nothing [less] than a moral failure and a stain on the international community and the UN.”  

The Human Rights Council vote came on the heels of a claim by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, that Israeli strikes on Gaza may constitute “war crimes.” 

She said that terror rockets from Gaza to Israel constitute “a clear violation of international humanitarian law.” 

She noted that “a number of these rockets killed and injured civilians and caused significant damage to civilian objects, such as public facilities, houses, factories and other civilian structures.”

Then she turned her attention to Israel’s response and said: a number of these rockets killed and said: “Although Israel undertook a number of precautions, such as advance warning of attacks in some cases, air strikes in such densely populated areas resulted in a high level of civilian fatalities and injuries, as well as the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. 

“Such strikes raise serious concerns of Israel’s compliance with the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law. If found to be indiscriminate and disproportionate in their impact on civilians and civilian objects, such attacks may constitute war crimes.”