
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Thursday discussed the upcoming meeting of the UN Human Rights Council over the violent events on the Gaza Strip border.
Liberman wrote on Twitter that Israel was "under double attack. A terror attack from Gaza and a hypocrisy attack headed by the UN Human Rights Council."
"All the condemnations are intended to deter the State of Israel from defending itself," the defense minister declared. "They will not succeed."
"We must stop helping the celebration of hypocrisy, immediately resign from the Human Rights Council, and act vigorously so that the United States will join this step," Liberman wrote.
On Tuesday, the Human Rights Council said that it would be holding a special session on Friday over the situation in Gaza.
"The special session is being convened per an official request submitted this evening by Palestine and the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of the Arab Group of States, which has been supported by 26 States thus far," the UN human rights office said in an emailed statement.
UN human rights expert Michael Lynk blasted what he called Israel’s “blatant excessive use of force,” claiming that Israel’s actions “may amount to a war crime.”
“This blatant excessive use of force by Israel – an eye for an eyelash – must end, and there must be true accountability for those in military and political command who have ordered or allowed this force to be once again employed at the Gaza fence,” he said in a release posted by the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner on Tuesday.
“I must reiterate that international human rights law sets strict prohibitions on the use of force by law enforcement officials. Lethal force against demonstrators is prohibited unless strictly unavoidable in the case of an imminent threat to life or threat of serious injury. The killing of demonstrators in violation of these rules, and within the context of occupation, may amount to willful killing, a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as a war crime.”
“There appears to be no persuasive evidence that the use of flammable kites, throwing of stones or Molotov cocktails, or other actions reportedly taken by a small number of the demonstrators presented a deadly threat that justified the force used by the Israeli military,” he also said.