U.S. To Counter Israel-focused UN General Assembly Resolution With Amendment Condemning Hamas

The United States is demanding that an amendment denouncing Hamas be added to a proposed United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Israel’s response to the months-long Gaza Strip protests. Following a request by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League states, the UNGA is slated to convene an emergency session Wednesday to vote on a resolution (a similar version of which was vetoed by the U.S. in the Security Council) that accuses the Israeli army of using excessive force during the so-called “March of Return” demonstrations, over the course of which more than 100 Palestinians have been killed, a majority of them members of terrorist groups. Moreover, the resolution, which will likely pass by a wide margin, calls on the international community to provide protection for Gaza’s civilian population. In response, American Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley drafted an add-on to the text calling on Hamas to “cease all violent activity and provocative actions,” and is demanding that a separate vote be held on the amendment. In a letter written to other UN envoys, Haley explained that “Hamas is not mentioned even once in the [proposed resolution]. This omission should be unacceptable to all member states given that Hamas fired over 100 rockets at Israel last month, provoked violent uprisings, and obstructed the flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.” The maneuver is part and parcel of a new strategy adopted by Washington in support of its ally Jerusalem. According to Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, under the new plan the Jewish state will no longer face hostile votes at the UN without the U.S. submitting an accompanying resolution denouncing the international body’s “hypocrisy.”