...In its inaugural session, the Geneva-based council passed several resolutions on general topics such as the rights of "indigenous" people and the opposition to "religious discrimination" - raised by Saudi Arabia to highlight purported anti-Muslim Danish cartoons. It also extended for one year the mandate of all its predecessor's "special rapporteurs," who are charged with documenting violations in certain areas and countries.

The council did not pass specific resolutions on the deteriorating situation in Sudan or violations of rights in any other country. On the last day of its inaugural session, however, it voted to condemn alleged Israeli violations. It also decided to extend indefinitely the mandate of the special rapporteur there. And as soon as the session ended, the council immediately decided, with the support of more than the required third of its membership, to convene the emergency session that will begin today.

"The council's singling out the Occupied Palestinian Territories for special attention is a cause for concern," Human Rights Watch's Peggy Hicks said in a statement. "The human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories deserves attention, but the new council must bring the same vigor to its consideration of other pressing situations."

On the other hand, Amnesty International, according to a statement on its Web site, "welcomes the Council's decision to convene a Special Session on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and calls for concrete action to address the gross human rights abuses currently taking place there."...

...The emergency session's resolution proposal is sponsored by mostly Arab and Islamic countries, including Sudan. A draft, seen by The New York Sun, is presented by Tunisia, which currently holds the presidency of the Arab group, and is co-sponsored by 13 Islamic and Arab countries, as well as Cuba. In addition to Sudan, the signatories include Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt. The proposal is widely expected to pass by a sizable margin...