US Pressure and Palestinian Authority Lead to Weakened UN Resolution on War Crimes in Palestine, Report

Ramallah (Quds News Network)- A key UN Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution that aimed to investigate war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories was significantly weakened under pressure from the United States and with the cooperation of the Palestinian Authority (PA), reported the Middle East Eye.

The final version of the resolution, passed this week, only “invites” the UN General Assembly to consider creating a legal mechanism. Earlier drafts would have directly established such a body—similar to successful efforts used to investigate war crimes in Syria and Myanmar.

A U.S. official told Middle East Eye that Washington “convinced” the PA to water down the resolution. “We successfully convinced the Palestinian Authority,” the official said, speaking anonymously. The language was changed to avoid triggering U.S. sanctions or backlash against UN member states.

The change came days before senior members of the U.S. Congress warned the UN Secretary-General that backing such a mechanism could lead to sanctions, mirroring U.S. threats previously aimed at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Publicly available drafts of the resolution show that references to establishing the investigative mechanism and outlining its function were removed before the letter from Congress was sent.

Experts say the proposed mechanism could have helped support existing war crimes investigations by the ICC and the UN’s Commission of Inquiry (COI). It would have strengthened accountability, especially for mid- and lower-level perpetrators, where other bodies lack the capacity.

Balkees Jarrah of Human Rights Watch said such mechanisms have been crucial in legal proceedings in Europe. “The Syria example showed how useful this kind of team can be in real prosecutions,” she said.

Former Palestinian officials said the PA’s cooperation with the U.S. was unsurprising. One criticized the PA’s inaction following the ICC’s recent arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. “Why hasn’t the PA pressured countries that welcomed Netanyahu? Why not summon their ambassadors?” he asked.

Analysts say the PA’s dependence on U.S. and European support has left it politically paralyzed. With no elections in 17 years and a collapsed economy in the West Bank, the PA has little leverage and minimal public support.

“Their existence is tied to the occupation,” said another former official. “They are unable to take any real stand for accountability.”

Though the resolution passed, it lacks teeth—and for many Palestinians, that’s just more evidence of a broken system of international justice.