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[Excerpt:]

"The resolution condemned that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for attacks on civilians and for “its practice of using civilians as human shields,” but made no reference to allegations of abuses against civilians on the government side. Up to 300,000 ethnic Tamils are being detained in camps set up by the government to house those who fled the warzone. The contrast to numerous previous Human Rights Council resolutions condemning Israel was striking. Before this week, five of the 10 special sessions held by the council since it began operating three years ago focused on Israel. The most recent, last January, strongly condemned the Israeli government in the aftermath of its offensive against Hamas terrorists in Gaza (see end of story below for comparison between Gaza and Sri Lankan resolutions.) During the Sri Lanka debate this week, its backers voiced support for the government’s legitimate right to fight against terrorism. The resolution that was passed reaffirmed “the principle of non-interference” in “domestic” matters. U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization, pointed out that Sri Lanka, while a member of the council from 2006-2008, had voted 23 times for resolutions that took the opposite stand on the question of “interference” in domestic matters – in 19 cases involving Israel, and four cases involving Burma."