Jerusalem (AHN) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement on Monday harshly criticizing the U.N. Human Rights Council for its one-sided approach to the Israeli-Arab conflict and its failure to address crises outside the Middle East.

Since the council was created in March, nearly all of its sessions have been devoted to alleged human rights violations by Israel. It has passed three resolutions against the Jewish state, but “has ignored the responsibilities and roles of other parties in the Middle East, including Hezbollah and Palestinian armed groups, who have committed violations,” noted HRW.

By doing so, the council has damaged its credibility and “failed in its duty to act to protect the rights of all citizens in the region.”

Beyond the Middle East, HRW took the council to task for turning a blind eye to other crisis regions, such as Sri Lanka and Darfur, where far more people have been displaced and killed than in and around Israel.

The U.N. Human Rights Council was established following intense pressure to dissolve the U.N. Human Rights Commission amid the latter’s regular hijacking by mostly Muslim nations as a political tool against Israel.