A U.S.-sponsored draft resolution that for the first time would have condemned the militant Islamic group Hamas, which controls Gaza, failed to win the required two-thirds majority in the U.N. General Assembly.
Before Thursday’s vote, the 193-member world body had narrowly voted to require a two-thirds majority which Arab nations pressed for rather than a simple majority which the United States urged.
U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the assembly before the vote that it could make history and unconditionally speak out against Hamas which she called “one of the most obvious and grotesque cases of terrorism in the world.”
But the vote on the resolution to condemn Hamas was 87-57 with 33 abstentions, a plurality below the two-thirds requirement.
Palestinian government hails failure of US resolution against Hamas
The Palestinian government hailed the failure of the US-sponsored draft resolution condemning Hamas to secure an overwhelming majority at the United Nations General Assembly, on Friday.
The Palestinian government spokesperson, Yousef al-Mahmoud, hailed the results of the voting on the draft resolution, entitled, “Activities of Hamas and Other Militant Groups in Gaza,” as a sign of the world’s alignment with Palestinian rights and renunciation of the means of hegemony and arrogance exercised by the US administration in defense of the Israeli occupation.
Al-Mahmoud said, “The US administration’s failure to pass the draft resolution accusing the Palestinian side ]of inciting violence[and exonerating the Israeli side from crimes committed against the Palestinian people and encouraging it to commit more crimes proves again the force of the Palestinian right and the Palestinian leadership’s success at the global level.”
The draft resolution, which was proposed by outgoing US envoy, Nikki Haley, was the first UNGA resolution to condemn Hamas and Palestinian resistance for firing rockets into Israel and “inciting violence.”
The draft received 87 votes in favor, 58 against, and 33 abstentions, falling short of reaching the required two-thirds majority of all state members’ votes.
