UN rights body condemns Israel over Lebanon

GENEVA, Aug 11 (Reuters) The United Nations new Human Rights Council today voted by a big majority to condemn Israel for its current military assault in Lebanon and for ''massive violations of human rights'' there.

Approving a resolution from countries of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League, the Council also agreed to set up a commission to investigate ''systematic targeting and killing'' of Lebanese civilians by Israel.

A total of 27 members -- including Russia, China, India and Latin American states on the new 47-nation Council -- voted for the text while 11 -- seven European Union members, Canada, Japan, Romania and Ukraine -- voted no.

Eight others -- including Switzerland, South Korea, Nigeria and Philippines -- abstained.

A majority of 24 votes in favour was required for passage.

Pakistan's ambassador Masood Khan, speaking for the OIC, hailed the vote as a step towards bringing about a ceasefire in Israel's assault against the Lebanese Hizbollah militia and ending ''the senseless orgy of killings''.

Earlier, countries critical of the resolution -- including Israel itself -- rejected the text as one-sided and unbalanced for focussing on Israeli actions and making no reference to Hizbollah rocket attacks on Israeli population centres.

Diplomats said some of the Latin American states and Russia -- which had earlier voiced concern that the resolution ignored Hizbollah and its role in sparking the conflict -- seemed to have been won over by a late change in the text.

This inserted a phrase calling on ''all concerned parties'' -- rather than just Israel as in the original draft -- to respect international humanitarian law and to refrain from violence against ''the civilian population.'' ''TERRORIST GROUP'' But Finland, speaking on behalf of the EU and Romania, said that did not go far enough, while Canada said Hizbollah -- which it labelled a ''terrorist group'' -- should have been condemned for its violations of the rights of Israelis and Lebanese.

The resolution was passed as the UN Security Council in New York struggles to agree on a plan to end the month-long fighting which has brought death and devastation to large parts of Lebanon and to northern Israel.

The Geneva resolution expressed ''outrage'' at what it called ''senseless killings by Israel, with impunity, of children, women, the elderly'' and to ''immediately stop military operations against (the) civilian population.'' In a speech before the vote, Israel's ambassador Itzhak Levanon said his country had to act against the militia ''that continues to preach and practice its genocidal philosophy calling for the destruction of Israel.'' In a speech opening the session, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said there had been widespread shock at an Israeli attack on the Lebanese town of Qana on July 30 in which many civilians, including children, died.

But she also said Hizbollah was guilty of ''indiscriminate shelling of densely populated centres'' in northern Israel.

REUTERS DKA RAI2334