The United States was the only country in the world that voted on Wednesday against the United Nations investigating human rights violations in Gaza unleashed by Israel’s military.
Of the 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council, 29 nations voted for an independent inquiry. Seventeen countries abstained, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
The enquiry will look at all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territory and the Gaza Strip in the context of military operations conducted since mid June, according to a statement from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The council condemned all violence against civilians wherever it occurred, including the killing of two Israeli civilians as a result of rocket fire.
A 12-hour humanitarian truce went into effect on Saturday after Israel and Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip agreed to a UN request for a pause in fighting and efforts proceeded to secure a long-term ceasefire move ahead.
