'US should stop blocking Palestinians from joining UN'

The UN should “support rather than oppose Palestinian actions to join international treaties that promote respect for human rights,” Human Rights Watch said yesterday.

Deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch Joe Stork said: “It is disturbing that the Obama administration, which already has a record of resisting international accountability for Israeli rights abuses, would also oppose steps to adopt treaties requiring Palestinian authorities to uphold human rights.”

Stork added: “The US should press both the Palestinians and the Israelis to better abide by international human rights standards.”

In wake of the failure of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas filed applications to join 15 international treaties, including the core treaties on human rights and the laws of war.

The following day, the US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said that the US would strongly oppose the Palestinian action to join international bodies and treatments.

Based on the US “solemn commitment to stand with Israel,” Power said that the US firmly opposes “any and all unilateral [Palestinian] actions in the international arena.”

Defending the Palestinian decisions, Human Rights Watch said: “Palestine’s adoption of human rights and laws of war treaties would not cause any change in Israel’s international legal obligations.”