GENEVA — Spurred by the latest fighting in Gaza, the United Nations’ top human rights body voted Thursday to appoint a commission of inquiry with unusually broad latitude to investigate possible war crimes and other abuses committed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel denounced the decision as a one-sided sham. It was the third time in seven years that the Human Rights Council in Geneva had decided to name such a panel, but this one differed in two important respects:It is “ongoing,” meaning the panel can pursue the inquiry indefinitely. That gives it a degree of permanence akin to investigative bodies documenting atrocities in Syria and Myanmar. Critics who opposed the resolution said it lacked balance.

Source: International New York Times May 27, 2021 22:52 UTC