Kuwait Keeps Up Push For International Mission To Protect Palestinians

Kuwait is circulating a watered-down draft United Nations Security Council resolution that aims to set up an international mechanism to protect Palestinians in the West bank and Gaza Strip. After other UNSC members rejected the original version, Kuwait dropped an outright demand for the deployment of a peacekeeping force and instead has requested that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres present recommendations for “measures to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilian population.” The council could hold a vote on the resolution as early as Thursday, with the U.S. expected to wield its veto, if necessary, a result Kuwait purportedly would be satisfied with in order to demonstrate what it views as the Trump administration’s isolation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is unclear, though, if other countries will back the bid, with African and European nations, including permanent Security Council members France and Britain, having expressed concerns over the draft resolution’s lack of details relating to the scope and objective of any protection mission. Not surprisingly, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon slammed Kuwait’s initiative as “shameful” and claimed it was designed to help the Hamas terror group.