Sources say attempts at reform have failed to satisfy US, which claims the council is stacked with opponents of Israel

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Talks over how to reform the United Nations human rights council have failed to meet US demands, activists and diplomats said, suggesting the Trump administration will quit the panel, whose session opens on Monday.

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Nikki Haley, Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, publicly told the council a year ago that Washington might leave the body unless a “chronic anti-Israel bias” were removed.

The council, set up in 2006, has a permanent standing agenda item on suspected violations by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. Washington wants it removed. The US says the council is stacked with opponents of Israel. It boycotted it for three years under George W Bush then rejoined under Barack Obama in 2009.

The 47-member panel last month voted to investigate killings in Gaza and accused Israel of excessive use of force. The US and Australia cast the only “no” votes. Israel’s ambassador in Geneva, Aviva Raz Shechter, castigated the council for “spreading lies against Israel”.

A US source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the withdrawal appeared to be “imminent” but had no details. Diplomatic sources said it was not a question of if but of when the US retreats from the council, which is holding a three-week session through 6 July. A separate US official in Geneva said: “We are still moving ahead with our engagement for the coming session.”

Talks held in Geneva and in New York for months could not find consensus around a new agenda, according to activists and diplomats who took part. Any suspension or withdrawal would be the latest US rejection of multilateral engagement after pulling out of the Paris climate agreement and the deal over Iran’s nuclear program.

Diplomats said it could also lead to Israel being even more isolated in the council and could bolster countries such as Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan and Russia who resist what they see as UN interference in sovereign issues.

The European Union failed to find a common position, mainly due to Belgium’s wish to keep violations in individual countries on the agenda of each session, diplomats said.

The US also wants to make it easier to kick off member states with egregious rights records. Haley has cited Venezuela, China and Saudi Arabia. The council has ongoing investigations into violations in hotspots including Myanmar, South Sudan, and Syria, with a view to gathering evidence that could lead to future prosecutions.

Marc Limon, executive director of the thinktank Universal Rights Group, said there were “rumors and mutterings” of a “political decision” to disengage having been taken in Washington.

“They could either leave the seat empty, which could happen in June, or if withdrawing, formally notify the [UN] general assembly,” he said.

Swiss ambassador Valentin Zellweger said: “The decision by the Americans will have a profound impact on the council. If they withdraw, we can expect significant consequences.”

The US had long played a “leadership role” in the council, Zellweger said, adding: “Unfortunately I agree with them that not all members fulfil the [membership] criteria.”