The United States made a rare decision on Thursday when it joined 14 U.N. Security Council member states in a press statement decrying Israel.
Council members expressed “their condemnation of the recent strikes in Doha, the territory of a key mediator” and “deep regret at the loss of civilian life.” The statement didn’t mention Israel.
The members “underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar,” they stated. “They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, in line with the principles of the charter of the United Nations.”
The Security Council held a meeting on Thursday about the strikes. Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani flew in for the session.
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, stated that “the strike targeted Hamas leaders who, for years, have planned and directed attacks against Israel, many times making these directives from their luxury confines in Doha.”
“The men targeted were not legitimate politicians, diplomats or representatives,” he said. “They were the masterminds of terror.”
Dorothy Shea, acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the council that “unilateral bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation working very hard and bravely taking risks alongside the United States to broker peace, does not advance Israel’s or America’s goals.”
“That said, it is inappropriate for any member to use this to question Israel’s commitment to bringing their hostages home,” she said.
Al Thani said that Israeli leadership is “arrogant” and “bloodthirsty” and claimed that the timing of Tuesday’s strikes, as the Hamas delegation was reviewing an American ceasefire proposal, showed Jerusalem was intent on sidetracking negotiations.
“Israel is undermining the stability of the region impetuously,” Al Thani said.
