IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 557 

Strongly condemning the United Nations Human Rights Council for ignoring 

severe human rights abuses in various countries, while choosing to unfairly target Israel by including it as the only country permanently 

placed on the Council’s agenda. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 19, 2007 

Mr. CAMPBELL of California (for himself, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. 

ADERHOLT, Mr. AKIN, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, 

Mr. BILBRAY, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BRADY of 

Texas, Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. FEENEY, 

Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey, Mr. GINGREY, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. GOODE, 

Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. HERGER, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois, Mr. JORDAN of Ohio, Mr. KIRK, Mr. KLINE of Minnesota, Mr. 

LAMBORN, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. LINDER, Mr. MCCARTHY of California, Mr. 

MCCAUL of Texas, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California, 

Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. PEARCE, Mr. PITTS, Mr. POE, Mr. PORTER, 

Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. RENZI, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. RYAN

of Wisconsin, Mr. SALI, Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Mr. 

SAXTON, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. SIRES, Mr. 

TERRY, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mr. 

WEXLER, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, and Mr. BARTON of Texas) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Strongly condemning the United Nations Human Rights 

Council for ignoring severe human rights abuses in various countries, while choosing to unfairly target Israel 


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•HRES 557 IH 

by including it as the only country permanently placed 

on the Council’s agenda. 

Whereas Article II of Chapter I of the United Nations Charter states that ‘‘[t]he Organization is based on the principles of sovereign equality of all its members’’; 

Whereas the former United Nations Human Rights Commission was widely discredited for its incessant attacks 

against Israel and for granting membership to Cuba, 

Zimbabwe, China, Saudi Arabia, and other countries that 

were notorious human rights violators; 

Whereas the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution establishing the Human 

Rights Council, stating that ‘‘members elected to the 

Council shall uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights’’; 

Whereas the resolution also stated that ‘‘the Council shall be 

responsible for promoting universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for 

all, without distinction of any kind and in a fair and 

equal manner’’; 

Whereas China, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia are members of the 

Human Rights Council; 

Whereas in the past year that the United Nations Human 

Rights Council has been in existence, the Council has 

held four special sessions to address pressing human 

rights situations; 

Whereas of those four sessions, three were condemning Israel 

for their possible human right abuses in the Occupied 

Palestinian Territories and in Lebanon, and the fourth 

special session was a non-condemnatory expression of 

‘‘concern’’ regarding the situation in Darfur, Sudan; 


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•HRES 557 IH 

Whereas the Human Rights Council has failed to adequately 

address a number of other pressing human rights concerns throughout the world; 

Whereas the 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices of the Department of State notes that, with respect 

to Iran, ‘‘the government’s poor human rights record 

worsened . . . and it continued to commit numerous, serious abuses’’; 

Whereas, between June 10 and 15, 2007, Hamas-armed gunman violently took over the Gaza Strip, executing men, 

women, and children; 

Whereas, on June 19, 2007, a Department of State spokesperson specifically identified Burma, Cuba, North Korea, 

Zimbabwe, and Belarus as countries that merit consideration by the United Nations Human Rights Council due 

to their ‘‘serious human rights violations’’; 

Whereas during its fifth session, the Human Rights Council 

voted to make Israel the only country permanently included on its agenda; and 

Whereas United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon 

said he was ‘‘disappointed at the Council’s decision to 

single out only one specific regional item, given the range 

and scope of allegations of human rights violations 

throughout the world’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) strongly condemns the United Nations 

3 Human Rights Council for ignoring severe human 

4 rights abuses in other countries, while choosing to 

5 unfairly target Israel; 


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•HRES 557 IH 

1 (2) strongly urges the Council to remove Israel 

2 from its permanent agenda; 

3 (3) strongly urges the Council to hold special 

4 sessions to address other countries where human 

5 rights abuses are being committed, adopt real re6 form as was intended for the Council when it re7 placed the United Nations Commission on Human 

8 Rights, and reaffirm the principle of human dignity 

9 consistent with the original intent envisioned at the 

10 Council’s establishment; 

11 (4) strongly urges the United States to make 

12 every effort in the General Assembly to ensure that 

13 the Council lives up to its mission to protect human 

14 rights around the world, in accordance with United 

15 Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/251 estab16 lishing the Council; and 

17 (5) strongly urges the United States to work 

18 with the United Nations General Assembly to ensure 

19 that only countries who have a well-established com20 mitment to protecting human rights are chosen to 

21 serve on the Council. 

Æ 


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