Following the rejection of a U.S. measure to condemn Hamas mortar attacks on Israeli civilians, the United States has pledged to veto an Arab-authored resolution at the United Nations that would afford “international protection” to Palestinian civilians.
The measure was scheduled to go up for a vote on Friday.
Authored by Kuwait, it calls on Israel to halt “the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force,” but fails to condemn Hamas hostility, just stating that the resolution “deplores the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli civilian areas.”
It also calls for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to provide a written report within 60 days with ways to ensure “the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including calls for “an international protection mechanism.”
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley expressed outrage that the international body would convene on March 30 in order to condemn Israeli defense of its border with Gaza using live fire, but would thwart a U.S.-backed resolution on May 30 that condemned the Hamas terror organization for shooting rockets into Jewish communities.
“[Kuwait’s resolution] is a grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt, and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Haley said in a statement on Thursday evening.
