France attacked, US abandoned: Storm over treatment of Israel at UN

The US delegation walked out of a UN Security Council meeting in protest after France compared Washington's human rights vote to authoritarian regimes. The dispute erupted after the US voted against extending the term of the UN Human Rights Commissioner, who criticized Israel's conduct in Gaza.

The US delegation walked out of a UN Security Council meeting last Friday in sharp protest against remarks by France. The diplomatic dispute erupted after France compared Washington's human rights vote to that of authoritarian states. This followed the US vote against extending the term of Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who had previously criticized Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel's conduct in Gaza. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz accused France of supporting those who "preached" to democratic countries while "sucking up to the worst oppressors in the world." Senior US official Dan Negrea stated that the US delegation would continue to take similar positions until France "abandons its condescending and dismissive rhetoric." US Ambassador Jeff Bartos criticized Türk's reappointment and said there would be "consequences" for an assembly that "suffers procedural irregularities and abuse of UN roles." In contrast, French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont described Türk as a "voice of conscience" who showed "rigor and impartiality" during his first term. UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq declined to comment on the US walkout.