Israel cuts relations with UNHCR in dispute over settlements

Israel has cut working relations with the UN Human Rights Council, meaning it will bar a UN team from entering Israel or the West Bank for a planned investigation of Jewish settlements.       

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel's top diplomat, Avigdor Lieberman, announced the decision on Monday.    

"The Human Rights Council in Geneva systematically ignores our views, our positions and our concerns and does not really cooperate with us on issues of consequence, we have decided as of today not to cooperate with the Human Rights Council," said Palmor.    

Israeli leaders have been in an uproar over the council's adoption of a resolution last week condemning Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and its decision to send a fact-finding mission to investigate such activity.    

Israel accuses the council of having a pronounced anti-Israel bias, claiming there is a disproportionate focus on Israeli policy and actions toward the Palestinians, and not enough attention paid to human rights abuses in Arab nations and countries such as Iran.    

The settlement issue has torpedoed efforts to restart peace talks.    

Palestinians claim all of the West Bank for their future state, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in 1967.   

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to halt construction for Jews on occupied lands.     

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said there is no point negotiating with Netanyahu unless he gets ironclad assurances about a settlement freeze and the parameters for talks.              

APTN