Streaks of light are seen as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, May 12. Amir Cohen, Reuters/File
MANILA — A Philippine vote backing a probe into alleged crimes committed during the deadly 11-day conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza should not affect ties between Manila and Jerusalem, Malacañang said on Thursday.
Israel has summoned the Philippine ambassador to Tel-Aviv to clarify Manila's vote that backed the independent investigation of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
President Rodrigo Duterte, though he is the chief architect of foreign policy, "does not micromanage" and deferred to the decision of the Philippine delegation to the UN on the matter, said his spokesman Harry Roque.
The delegation "consistently" votes in favor of Palestine's recognition as a state, in the same way that the Philippines supported the recognition of Israel as a country, he said in a press briefing.
"Iyong boto pong iyan sa (the vote in the) UN Human Rights Council does not in any way, or should not in any way affect our excellent bilateral relations with Israel," said Roque.
"Wala naman pong kinalaman iyan doon sa napakalapit na samahan natin with the state of Israel," he added.
(That has no connection to our very close ties with the state of Isreal.)
The UN typically passes resolutions between Israel and Palestine "with the majority vote in favor of the Palestinians," the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Roque read.
"In short, our vote has been consistent with the previous positions of the Philippines. Although we say that, at the same time, we very much value our bilateral relations with Israel," said the foreign office.
The UNCHR probe will have a broad mandate to look into all alleged violations, not just in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but also in Israel during hostilities that were halted by a ceasefire on May 21.
Israel hosts some 30,000 OFWs, most of whom are domestic workers. However, there are only 300 Filipinos in Israel's Ashkelon and Ashdod cities, and another 100 in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting was concentrated, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said.
"As far as our OFWs are concerned, wala namang (there is no) negative effect," Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello of the UNCHR probe, during the same briefing.
The Philippines is negotiating with Israel to get some of its surplus COVID-19 vaccines. Duterte also relies on Israel for the Philippine military's modernization, said Roque.
Video courtesy of PTV
Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, earlier told the council that deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza might constitute war crimes and that Hamas had violated international humanitarian law by firing rockets into Israel.
Israel rejected the resolution adopted by the Geneva forum and said it would not cooperate.
"Today's shameful decision is yet another example of the UN Human Rights Council's blatant anti-Israel obsession," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement accusing the forum of whitewashing "a genocidal terrorist organization."
Israel's foreign ministry said its forces acted "in accordance with international law, in defending our citizens from Hamas’ indiscriminate rocket fire."
A spokesman for Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, called the group's actions "legitimate resistance" and called for "immediate steps to punish" Israel.
Israel's main ally, the United States, said it deeply regretted the decision in the forum, where it has observer status and no vote.
"The action today instead threatens to imperil the progress that has been made," said a statement released by the US mission to the UN in Geneva.
By a vote of 24 states in favor, and 9 against, with 14 abstentions, the 47-member UNHRC adopted a resolution for the Israel-Gaza investigation. European countries were split, with Austria, Britain and Germany voting against. France and the Netherlands abstained.
— With reports from Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News; Reuters
Israel, Israel Palestine, Israel Philippines, United Nations Human Rights Council, UNCHR, missiles, Gaza