The United Nations rejected a resolution on Thursday that required a two-thirds majority to pass condemning the terrorist group Hamas for launching rockets from Gaza into Israel in addition to its infrastructure such as building tunnels to infiltrate and attack the Jewish state.
The final vote was 87 in favor, 57 against, 33 abstentions.
Although the vote was expected to pass through a simple majority, Kuwait proposed a motion to require a two-thirds majority to pass the resolution, dimming its chances for success. The motion was adopted with 75 votes in favor, 72 against, 26 abstentions.
“The very fact that there is a vote against Hamas in the General Assembly is an achievement for Israel. We succeeded in creating discussion and enlisting support from around the world against this murderous terror organization,” said Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon. “This has never before happened at the U.N., and now there has is an historic opportunity to condemn it publicly and decisively.”
By securing support from all of the European Union’s 28 member states, the resolution’s fate was all but sealed.
Danon told reporters on Tuesday that “we will get a majority, no matter what.”
In remarks just before what is one of her final acts as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told her fellow members that the resolution could mark “a historic day” or just “another day.”
Additionally, Haley rhetorically asked: “Is the hatred that strong? Is the hatred against Israel that strong that you will defend a terrorist organization that does more harm to the Palestinian people? Isn’t it time to let it go?”
This development came on the heels of six anti-Israel resolutions adopted by the world body last Friday.
