WarSclerotic

In the wake of Sunday night’s terror attack near Ofra which Hamas termed “heroic,” US Ambassador David Friedman underlined that the UN could not even get itself to condemn that organization last week.

“Another vile act of Palestinian terrorism last night included the shooting of a pregnant woman. Hamas calls the shooters “heroic” — yes, the same Hamas that the UN could not resolve to condemn last week. The US stands with Israel against terrorists even if others won’t,” Friedman wrote in a tweet on Monday.

Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s special representative for international negotiations, also highlighted Hamas’s reaction and slammed the UN vote as a result. In a tweet directed at the UN, he wrote: “Hamas praises yet another terror attack. You had the ability to help fight against terror. Is this what the UN wants its legacy to be?”

The UN on Thursday failed to adopt an American-sponsored resolution that would have – for the first time – condemned Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror organizations in Gaza.

Although 87 countries supported the anti-Hamas measure, while 57 opposed and another 33 abstained, the measure did not pass because the Palestinians succeeded in getting a measure passed necessitating a two-thirds majority. That measure passed by a slim three votes.

Of the top ten countries who received US foreign aid in 2018, Israel was the only country that supported the measure.

Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya – who together will receive $1.6b in aid from the US this year – all abstained.

Iraq, Nigeria, Zambia, Afghanistan, Jordan and Egypt – who will receive a total of $4.4b in US aid – all voted against.

Turkey was the only one of the 29 NATO countries that voted against the measure.

Two other NATO countries – Norway and Iceland – voted for the measure requiring a two-thirds majority, which passed 75-72, with 26 abstentions.

Had both those NATO countries voted against the measure – as well as two of three other “western” nations that abstained: Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein – than a simple majority on the measure would have been all that was necessary, and the anti-Hamas resolution would have passed.

On Thursday night, at a Hanukka reception at the UN hosted by the Israeli mission, Haley said, “The president called and he said, ‘Nikki what happened?’ And I told him, and he goes, ‘Who do we need to get upset at? Who do you want me to yell at? Who do we take their money away?’”

Haley jokingly said to those at the reception, “I’m not gonna tell you what I told him.”