Hamas falls into Russia’s resolution calling for a ceasefire
The US, Japan, UK, and France condemn “hypocrisy in supporting terrorist groups”
This “Hamas is a Nazi” vs. Arms “a threat to civilians”
The UN Security Council held its first public meeting since Hamas’ attack on Israel, but the resolution proposed by Russia omitted condemnation of Hamas, revealing only conflict between the West and Russia and China. Accordingly, the UN Security Council ended the meeting empty-handed, unable to condemn the Hamas attack that killed 1,300 people or to present a position on Israel’s deployment of ground troops in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
On the 16th (local time), the UN Security Council convened to discuss resolutions related to the war between Israel and Hamas proposed by Russia and Brazil, respectively. This meeting is the first official public meeting held following informal consultations held immediately after Hamas’ attack on Israel last week.
The Russian draft, which was discussed first on this day, contains content condemning ‘violence and hostilities against civilians and all acts of terrorism, calling for the release of hostages, and calling for a humanitarian ceasefire.’ However, it did not contain any mention of Hamas, which attacked Israel, leading to backlash from the Western camp.
After three hours of discussion, the resolution proposed by Russia was not adopted with 5 countries in favor (Russia, China, United Arab Emirates, Mozambique), 4 countries against (USA, France, UK, Japan), and 6 abstentions (Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Malta and Switzerland). For a Security Council resolution to be adopted, it must be approved by at least 9 countries and no veto by any of the permanent members (the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China).
“By failing to condemn Hamas, Russia is providing cover for a terrorist group that is brutally slaughtering innocent civilians,” said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “This is hypocritical and outrageous,” she said. “The United States agrees that the Security Council must act, but we must do it properly,” she said, adding that she could not agree to the Russian resolution. British Ambassador Dame Barbara Woodward also said, “The UK is outraged by Hamas’ shocking terrorism and respects Israel’s right to self-defense. At the same time, we are making efforts to respond to the human rights crisis in Gaza,” he said, pointing out that “the Russian resolution cannot be supported because it does not condemn Hamas’ terrorist acts.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia criticized, saying, “Today, the whole world waited with bated breath for the Security Council to take action to end the bloodshed, but Western delegations trampled on expectations.”
The Palestinian and Israeli ambassadors, who attended as interested parties, also continued their war of words. Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said, “Civilians must be protected and Israel cannot force people (in the Gaza Strip) to choose between forced displacement and death,” adding, “Palestine is abandoned by the world and under unjust rule. “We will never disappear but be reborn,” he said, appealing for support from the international community.
Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan responded by saying, “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said, ‘Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people,’ but the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations is representing the Gaza Strip, which is led by Hamas.” He continued, “The United Nations was founded from the ashes of the Nazi Holocaust. “Now that another genocide has occurred, this is an opportunity to correct the legitimacy of the UN Security Council,” he said, urging the UN to support Israel.
Reuters reported that the UN Security Council is scheduled to continue discussions on the 17th on the Brazilian draft resolution, which condemns Hamas and calls for a temporary halt in the war to provide humanitarian aid.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.