Will the UN pass up another opportunity to criticize Hamas’ practice of targeting Israeli civilians with rocket attacks?
By: AP and United with Israel Staff
The Palestinians and their supporters at the United Nations (UN) have submitted a motion to the General Assembly to adopt a resolution deploring what the call Israel’s “excessive use of force,” particularly while defending its border against the Palestinian rioters in Gaza.
The US is demanding changes, saying Israel is unfairly singled out in the draft, which also calls on UN officials to come up with recommendations for protecting Palestinian civilians.
The US vetoed virtually the same resolution at the Security Council (UNSC) at the beginning of the month. US Ambassador Nikki Haley called that Kuwait-sponsored resolution “grossly one-sided” for criticizing the use of force by Israel while not mentioning the Islamic Hamas terror group, which rules Gaza, incites the riots, and has recently attacked Israel’s south with rockets.
The Palestinians and their supporters hope to succeed at the GA on Wednesday, where there is no veto power.
‘Ignoring Basic Truths’
Haley sent a letter to all UN member states Tuesday calling the proposed GA resolution “fundamentally imbalanced” for “ignoring basic truths about the situation in Gaza” and not mentioning Hamas.
She proposed an amendment condemning Hamas for firing rockets into Israel and inciting violence along the Gaza-Israel border fence, “thereby putting civilians at risk.” The proposal also would condemn the diversion of resources and international aid in Gaza to building terror-tunnels to infiltrate Israel and equipment to fire rockets, and would express “grave concern” at the destruction of the Kerem Shalom crossing point to Israel “by actors in Gaza,” thus hindering the passage of aid from Israel into Gaza.
Haley said the amendment “is not controversial” and simply condemns “behavior we should all recognize as harmful to the Palestinian people.”
The letter said the amendment would be voted on before the resolution.
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said Tuesday night that he is lobbying 191 member states — all but the US and Israel — and expects to win.
While Security Council resolutions are legally binding, General Assembly resolutions are not.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon “welcomed” the American amendment condemning Hamas.
“It is despicable for any country to even consider to vote for a resolution condemning Israel while refusing to support the condemnation of Hamas,” he stated. “Such behavior is hypocritical at best, and at worst amounts to openly emboldening an internationally recognized terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of countless of innocent people.”
