The United Nation's Human Rights Commission has condemned Israel for what it calls "mass killings" of Palestinians and has demanded an end to its military incursion into Palestinian territory.
The U.N.'s top human rights body approved a resolution Monday, which was sponsored mainly by Arab and Muslim states, that denounced Israel for "gross violations" of human rights, including acts of extrajudicial killing, arbitrary detention and besieging of Palestinian towns.
The resolution, also supported by a number of European nations, reaffirmed what it termed the "legitmate right of the Palestinian people to resist."
The 53-member Human Rights Commission, which is holding its annual session, passed the motion 40-5 with seven abstentions. Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Guatemala, and Britain voted against the resolution. The United States is not a member of the Commission, having lost its seat last year.