With a huge majority, the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning Israel for using “excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate” force during the recent clashes at the Gaza border and calling for an “international protection mechanism” for Palestinian civilians.
The dramatic, down to the wire session saw the United States attempt to add a paragraph condemning Hamas, which was ultimately rejected on procedural grounds though most member states supported it. The resolution, proposed by Algeria and Turkey, then passed with 120 “yes” votes, 8 “no” votes and 45 abstentions.
The eight countries that voted against the resolution were the US, Israel, Australia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo and the Solomon Islands.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement issued before the actual voting took place, condemned the resolution, entitled “Protection of the Palestinian civilian population.”
“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,” he said.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, arguing that the draft was biased against Israel, proposed an amendment that would have added an explicit condemnation of the Hamas terrorist organization and its firing of rockets, promotion of violence at the Gaza border, and digging of tunnels to infiltrate into Israel.
But Algeria called for a “no-action motion,” which would have prevented a vote on the amendment. According to General Assembly rules, the motion was put to a vote of all member states. Surprisingly, 78 countries opposed Algeria’s move while only 59 supported it.
Haley’s amendment cleared with a slim majority, 62 to 58, with 42 abstentions.
However, General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák, of Slovakia, ruled that a two-thirds majority was needed for an amendment to be added to a draft resolution.
Haley appealed his decision, which led the session to be adjourned for several minutes.
When the session reconvened, Lajčák put Haley’s appeal to a vote. Sixty-six countries voted in favor, 72 opposed and 26 countries abstained, which meant that the original draft was put to a vote without the US amendment.
Haley condemned the final vote as a “morally bankrupt judgement.”
But she argued that “the common practice of turning a blind eye to the UN’s anti-Israel bias is changing.”
“Today, a plurality of 62 countries voted in favor of the US-led effort to address Hamas’s responsibility for the disastrous conditions in Gaza. We had more countries on the right side than the wrong side. By their votes, those countries recognized that peace will only be achieved when realities are recognized, including Israel’s legitimate security interests, and the need to end Hamas’ terrorism,” she said.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, praised Haley for her effort.
“While procedural maneuvers were used to block it, we’re proud that by working with the Americans and our friends around the world, a majority of nations in the UN voted for the first time to condemn the terrorists of Hamas,” he tweeted.
General Assembly resolutions cannot be vetoed. Unlike UN Security Council resolutions, they are not legally binding on member states. On June 1, 10 countries voted in favor of an almost identical text in the Security Council, proposed by Kuwait, but it failed to pass due to a US veto.
The resolution as passed does include a general condemnation of terrorism and incitement, and “deplores the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip against Israeli civilian areas,” but it fails to mention Hamas, the terrorist group ruling the coastal enclave and responsible for much of the violence emanating from the territory aimed at Israel.
Netanyahu praises Nikki Haley for strong defense of Israel at U.N.
Even before the U.N. passed a General Assembly condemning Israel for “excessive use of force” in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised US ambassador Nikki Haley for Wednesday night her spirited defense of Israel in the U.N. and her efforts to get an amendment to the resolution added that would condemn Hamas violence.
"Israel appreciates the firm support of the Trump administration in Israel at the United Nations and Ambassador Haley's resolute statement today, which exposed the hypocrisy of the bias against Israel at the U.N.,” he said in a statement
The U.N. resolution condemning Israel passed by a vote of 120-8, with 45 abstentions. Haley's amendment also passed by a simple majority of 62-58, with 42 abstentions, but because of a procedural ruling that a two-third majority was needed, that amendment was not adopted.
“The unceasing focus of the United Nations in Israel shames the organization, it also diverts attention from other burning issues that require the attention of the international community,” Netanyahu said.
Regarding the situation in Gaza, Netanyahu said “Hamas is responsible for the difficult situation there, for the loss of life and suffering resulting from the violent riots it has been waging in recent weeks.”
Netanyahu said that Instead of improving the lives of Gaza residents, “Hamas uses the Palestinian population as a human shield in the ongoing war of terror against Israel. President Abbas only exacerbated the humanitarian distress in Gaza by cutting salaries in Gaza and refusing to pay for the electricity supplied to Gaza.”
Netanyahu pledged that Israel will continue to defend itself and to protect the security of its citizens, and also said it will “continue to seek ways to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
The prime minister said that the residents of Gaza are not Israel's enemies, only Hamas. He said he will discuss the Gaza situation with US envoys Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman when they arrive in Israel next week to discuss the “ways to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab world in general.”
“As we work to improve the daily lives of the citizens of Gaza and the return of our soldiers and our citizens, we must act to take advantage of the positive changes taking place in the region in order to promote a genuine and lasting peace,” he said. “Palestinians who threaten us will find the State of Israel more determined than ever to defend itself. Palestinians who reach out to peace will find our hand extended again."
No comments:
Post a Comment