Israel on Tuesday became the first country to boycott a periodic review of its practices by the U.N. Human Rights Council, citing what it called the body's strong bias against it.
Israeli representatives did not attend the session of the 47-member council in Geneva, and the review was postponed to no later than November. All U.N. member states are required to submit to a council review every four years, and nearly all have attended, including nations accused of extensive human rights abuses such as Syria and North Korea.
Council spokesman Rolando Gomez said Israel's absence from the mandatory Universal Periodic Review put the council "in new territory."