Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, responded to a newly proposed Palestinian UN resolution this past week. He said, “Israel and the United States will continue to mobilize the countries of the world into a united front against the terrorism that Hamas engages in on behalf of Iran.”
And he added, “A terrorist organization going to the UN for assistance is like a serial killer asking the police” for help.
The UN Debate Supporting Hamas’ Call to Destroy Israel
That proposed resolution came in the form of a letter Hamas sent to United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Maria Fernada Spinosa on the UN’s “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People,” which was last Thursday. The letter asked for UN support of Hamas’ right to bear arms against Israel.
CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill spoke to the UNGA on the occasion, invoking a rally cry Hamas uses to call for the destruction of Israel: “Free Palestine from the river to the sea.” The Daily Wire reported that Hill “has a long history of anti-Semitism” and cited a May 2018 Huffington Post article in which Hill “defended Palestinians’ right to use violence against Israel but claimed Palestinians truly want peace.”
Hill also wrote, “By naturalizing the idea that nation-states have a ‘right to exist,’ we undermine our ability to offer a moral critique of Israel’s (or any settler-colony’s) origin story.”
It’s encouraging that CNN fired Hill for his UNGA comments, and Hill subsequently apologized for them in an op-ed published in his hometown paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
However, although UNGA rejected the Hamas proposal, it did pass six resolutions biased against Israel.
If you ever needed proof of the illegitimacy of the United Nations? Today you got it. The #UNGA just failed to pass a resolution condemning terrorist org #Hamas for indiscriminately firing hundreds of rockets at civilians, each one constituting a war crime in and of itself. pic.twitter.com/Ult0ZiEvwi
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) December 6, 2018
UNGA Upholds its Anti-Israel Reputation
Those six anti-Israel resolutions passed at last week’s UNGA are listed on the UN’s website. They are non-binding but carry significant political weight. They are:
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The resolution titled “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine,” which calls for intensified efforts to conclude a final peace settlement. It blames Israel for the lack of a peace agreement and calls on Israel to comply with international law and end all acts of violence against the Palestinian people. It ignores Hamas and Hezbollah terrorism against Israel.
- The “Jerusalem” resolution calls Israel’s laws, jurisdiction and administration on Jerusalem “null and void.”
- “The Syrian Golan” resolution demands that Israel withdraw from the Syrian Golan, also known as the Golan Heights.
- The final three resolutions reiterate the UN’s support of the Palestinians over Israel: “Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People,” “Special information program on the question of Palestine of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat” and “Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat.”
Danon said of the six resolutions, “It is a shame that the United Nations passes biased resolutions and devotes resources to bodies that denounce and attack Israel.” She called UN discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “Israel bashing.”
The website UN Watch called them “inherently prejudiced and one-sided,” “counter-productive to the peace process,” and “ignoring terrorism against Israeli men, women and children.”
Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the resolutions “are biased and drive parties apart,” adding that “the cause of peace will be served when the bias against Israel ends.”
The U.S. submitted a resolution condemning Hamas “for repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence” against civilians. The Palestinian ambassador called it a continuation of the United States’ “attack against the Palestinian people” that he said began with recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; cutting off funding for the Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA; and closing the Palestine Liberation Office in Washington D.C.
A Monday vote on that resolution was delayed and expected today.
Hamas and Fatah Unite
Meanwhile, the UN and Egypt continue their efforts to reconcile Hamas (which rules the Gaza Strip) and Fatah (the party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas). Senior officials of Hamas, Fatah, Egypt and the UN met last summer to devise ways to avert “an all-out military confrontation with Israel in the Gaza Strip,” The Jerusalem Post reported.
It seems the only thing the two groups can agree upon is ensuring the failure of President Trump’s efforts to negotiate peace.
While Hamas and Fatah continue to battle for control of Gaza, they are united in their war against President Trump, World Israel News (WIN)reported earlier this year, adding that, “Thwarting Trump’s peace plan has become a top priority for Hamas and Fatah. This is a mission that seems to be much more important to them than alleviating the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
Please join us in praying that:
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More media outlets will call out and stand up against Israel bashing
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Hamas and Fatah will join the effort to negotiate meaningful peace in the Middle East, including recognition of Israel
- Jewish people in Israel and worldwide will no longer have to endure the current escalating levels of anti-Semitism.
