Kerry: Anti-Israel bias undercuts U.N. rights panel

Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, March 2, 2015, in Geneva. Kerry delivered a vigorous defense of Israel before a U.N. body that Washington deems biased against the Jewish state. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, March 2, 2015, in Geneva. Kerry delivered a vigorous defense of Israel before a U.N. body that Washington deems biased against the Jewish state. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

GENEVA -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry came to Israel's defense Monday amid growing political tensions between the allies, saying that anti-Israeli bias by the United Nations' top rights panel is undermining its mission.

Kerry's statements contrast with the deepening divide between President Barack Obama's administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who plans to address a joint meeting of Congress today and criticize U.S. efforts to reach a deal with Iran to curtail its nuclear program.

But the White House also remains one of Israel's main backers on the world stage -- a relationship that some of Netanyahu's critics fear could be eroded by his visit to Washington to attack U.S. policies on the Iran negotiations.

"No one in this room can deny the bias against Israel in the U.N. Human Rights Council," said Kerry, addressing a meeting of the U.N. organization shortly before he was scheduled to join envoys from five other world powers to resume nuclear talks with Iran.

Every year, five or six U.N. resolutions critical of Israel are introduced, Kerry said, singling out for ridicule one by Syria regarding Israel's presence in the Golan Heights even as Syrian refugees were fleeing fighting to seek medical treatment in Israel.

Such resolutions, he said, are self-imposed roadblocks to progress by the U.N.'s highest body dedicated solely to human rights.

"It must be said: The HRC's obsession with Israel actually risks undermining the credibility of the entire organization," Kerry added. "It has the potential to limit the good we can accomplish."

Kerry promised that the United States would work to defeat anti-Israel resolutions it considers "arbitrary."

"The United States will oppose arbitrary efforts to delegitimize Israel," he said. "Not just in the U.N. Human Rights Council, but wherever it occurs."

Kerry's defense of Israel came just hours before Netanyahu was scheduled to speak at the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major lobbying group.

Netanyahu will argue today against congressional approval of a possible deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Netanyahu considers any deal that does not deny Iran virtually all nuclear capacity as a bad deal.

The West and its allies fear Iran's uranium enrichment labs could eventually produce warhead-grade material. Iran claims it only seeks to make nuclear fuel for reactors for energy and medical applications.

In remarks to reporters, Kerry advised critics of the talks to wait until an agreement is struck rather than picking apart reported elements of the possible deal.

Kerry did not specifically mention Netanyahu, but the comments appeared aimed at the Israeli prime minister for earlier statements claiming to disclose proposed negotiating points between Iran and world powers.

"We are concerned by reports that suggest selective details of ongoing negotiations will be discussed in upcoming days," he said. "Doing so makes it more difficult to reach the goal that Israel and others say they share -- to get a good deal."

Kerry said an acceptable deal would block any potential pathways Iran could take to develop nuclear weapons down the road, including through covert measures.

"Israel's security is absolutely at the forefront of all our minds," he said. "But ... so is the security of all the other countries in the region. So is our security in the United States."

In Washington, Netanyahu also tried to play down rifts with the White House, telling the pro-Israel lobbying group that his upcoming speech to Congress is not intended as "disrespect" to Obama or his policies.

But he said he breaks with the president over ways to limit Iran's capacity to one day produce nuclear arms, insisting Israel's "survival" is at stake.

Information for this article was contributed by Daniela Deane and Brian Murphy of The Washington Post.

A Section on 03/03/2015

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