The United Nations Human Rights Council voted Monday to condemn Israel's Cast Lead operation in Gaza. The council ruled that the operation had caused “massive violations of human rights of the Palestinian people.”

The council resolved to send a fact-finding mission to Gaza to investigate allegations of human rights abuses committed by Israel.

Of the forty-seven states in the HRC, 33 voted for the resolution, 13 abstained, and Canada objected to the resolution. The resolution was supported by Arab, African and Latin American countries, while European countries decided not to vote.

Some European and North American countries criticized the resolution as too one-sided, and said it ignored rocket and missile attacks launched from Gaza. The resolution does not mention terrorist attacks on Israel or violations of Israeli citizens' rights.

Last week, the UN's Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Richard Falk slammed Cast Lead and accused Israel of committing “crimes against humanity.” Falk is known for his harsh anti-Israel statements.

Israeli officials have diplomatically defended the Gaza operation in the foreign press and have insisted that no country in the world would not respond to years of rocket fire on its civilian population.