OTTAWA -- The top Palestinian diplomat in Canada says the Harper government should not have boycotted a United Nations conference this week that harshly criticized Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Said Hamad says Canada should have joined other countries at a conference in Geneva examining the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the rules of war and military occupation.

Some 126 countries of the 196 international parties to the convention adopted a resolution critical of Israel, saying its settlement construction does not conform to its international legal obligations as an occupying power.

Canada, along with the United States and Israel, boycotted the conference, with Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird saying the country didn't want to lend credibility to a process it views as one-sided and politicized.

It's the latest example of Canada's unwavering support of Israel, which has once again positioned the country offside with the majority of the United Nations.

Israel says the Geneva Conventions don't apply to the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem because the Palestinians have never had their own state.