Israel regrets the uninformed and biased statement issued by the OHCHR on February 24th regarding the verdict and sentencing by the Israeli Military Court in the case of El-Or Azaria. As is clear to anyone who actually read the judgment, the Israeli Court carefully examined all relevant factors and determined the sentence based on the particular circumstances of the case. The OHCHR statement in fact raises serious doubts about the credibility of this office and the HR council when they deal with Israel.

The time and effort invested by the OHCHR to issue a statement in relation to a reasoned judicial decision issued by a court governed by the rule of law - as human rights atrocities are being perpetrated on a massive scale across the region - sadly demonstrates yet again how the UN human rights agenda is perverted for the sake of a singular, politically motivated, obsession with Israel. The victims of genuine human rights violations deserve better and continue to pay the price of the moral bankruptcy of the Human Rights Council, and the political bias of its office holders.