“Israel appreciates the Trump administration’s steadfast support for Israel at the United Nations and Ambassador Haley’s strong statement today exposing the hypocrisy of the UN’s bias against Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement late Wednesday night, adding, “The UN’s incessant focus on Israel not only brings shame to the organization. It also draws attention away from so many other pressing issues that demand the attention of the international community.”
Just short of two weeks after the US had vetoed a Kuwait UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli efforts to block a mob insurgency from the Gaza Strip, the UN General Assembly on June 13 adopted exactly the same resolution on June 13, with 120 in favor, eight against and 45 abstaining.
“The nature of this resolution clearly demonstrates that politics is driving the day,” Ambassador Nikki Haley told the General Assembly before the vote. “It is totally one-sided. It makes not one mention of the Hamas terrorists who routinely initiate the violence in Gaza.”
Israeli Envoy Danny Danon told the assembly, “By supporting this resolution you are colluding with a terrorist organization, by supporting this resolution you are empowering Hamas.”
Earlier, UN President of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak torpedoed a US amendment that suggested Hamas was also to blame in the violence alongside the Gaza border. The US draft amendment won by 62 to 58, but Lajcak decided that a two-thirds vote was required, so no dice. Talk about moving the goal posts – and on the eve of the World Cup, too.
Ambassador Haley appealed the ruling, but the appeal was voted down by 73 to 66 and 26 abstaining.
The General Assembly text does condemn firing rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian populations, but without mentioning Hamas.
In his statement, Netanyahu stressed that “Hamas is responsible for the terrible situation there and for the loss of life and suffering that has occurred as a result of the violent riots it has instigated over the last few weeks. Rather than improve the lives of the people of Gaza, Hamas is using the civilian Palestinian population as human shields in its unremitting terror war against Israel.”
Setting the record straight on the suffering in Gaza, the PM noted that “for his part, President Abbas has only made the humanitarian situation in Gaza worse by reducing payments of salaries to Gaza and by refusing to pay for electricity provided to Gaza.”
“The people of Gaza are not our enemy, Hamas is,” Netanyahu concluded. “That is why Israel welcomes all efforts that would improve conditions for the people of Gaza while preventing Hamas from building its military capabilities to launch further attacks against Israel and demanding the prompt return of the Israeli soldiers and civilians Hamas is holding.”