UN votes on condemning Israel over Gaza violence

488

UNITED NATIONS, United States, June 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The United
Nations General Assembly will vote Wednesday on condemning Israel for
Palestinian deaths in Gaza in a resolution fiercely opposed by the United
States, which wants Hamas to face condemnation.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed the Arab-backed measure as
“fundamentally imbalanced” for its failure to mention Hamas and has proposed
an amendment that condemns the Palestinian militant group.

“Any resolution focused on the protection of civilians in Gaza must
recognize the destabilizing and reckless actions of Hamas, which endanger the
lives and livelihoods of innocent civilians,” Haley wrote in a letter sent to
fellow ambassadors on the eve of the vote.

At least 129 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire during protests
near the border with Gaza that began at the end of March.

The Arab-drafted text condemns Israel’s use of “excessive,
disproportionate and indiscriminate force” against Palestinian civilians and
calls for protection measures for Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West
Bank.

The 193-nation assembly will vote first on the US-drafted amendment
condemning Hamas for “inciting violence” along the border with Gaza before
the vote on the resolution.

Diplomats expect the US amendment to fail and the Arab-backed resolution
to be adopted, but it remains unclear how many votes it will garner in the
face of strong US opposition.

Arab countries backing the measure turned to the General Assembly after
the United States used its veto in the Security Council to block the
resolution on June 1.

The text was put forward by Algeria and Turkey on behalf of the Arab
League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

– Gaza is not Jerusalem –

The General Assembly last held a similarly contentious vote on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict in December, when it rejected President Donald
Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US
embassy there.

Haley had warned at the time that Washington was “taking names” of
countries that supported the resolution. The vote was 128 to 9, with 35
abstentions.

Backed by Arab countries, the Palestinians are lobbying to win as many
votes as those cast in support of the Jerusalem resolution.

Western diplomats however expect a large number of abstentions.

“Gaza is not Jerusalem,” said a diplomat, arguing that there is a stronger
international consensus about the need for a negotiated settlement on
Jerusalem than on who is to blame for the violence in Gaza.

Unlike the Security Council, resolutions adopted by the assembly are non-
binding and there is no veto.

The outcome will provide an indication of global opinion on the Israeli-
Palestinian crisis as the Security Council remains deadlocked on how to
respond to the violence.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in Gaza and the United Nations has
warned that a fourth conflict could be easily ignited.

The resolution would task UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with the
drafting of proposals for an “international protection mechanism” for the
Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

These could range from setting up an observer mission to a full-blown
peacekeeping force, but action on any option would require backing from the
Security Council, where the United States has veto power.