UN Human Rights Council session on Palestine held without several Western states

The 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council began in Geneva on September 7 and is scheduled to run through October 7. During a meeting focused on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, representatives of a number of countries and international organizations presented their positions and condemned Israel's actions, according to Mehr News.

The meeting was notable for the absence of several countries that frequently describe themselves as advocates of human rights. Canada, which the report described as a key orchestrator of anti-Iran measures under the guise of human rights, was among the notable absentees. Many European countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Finland, either did not attend the meeting or refrained from delivering speeches regarding the situation of the Palestinian people.

The United States and Israel, which the report said have come to be known in recent years as symbols of human rights violations worldwide, announced in 2025 that they would no longer participate in the Human Rights Council. They were notably absent from the recent session concerning Palestine.

At the meeting, representatives of a number of countries and international organizations explained their positions regarding the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and unequivocally and categorically condemned Israel's actions. The session is part of the council's ongoing 63rd meeting in Geneva.

According to Mehr News, the absence of these states was notable at the meeting, which took place amid continued international attention to the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.