BRUSSELS—This is somewhat unusual but all European Union member states have agreed to support a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly drafted by the United States which condemns Hamas, the movement in the Gaza Strip, by name, for its terror attacks against Israel.
The resolution is due to be voted on Thursday.
This is the first UN resolution of its kind which seeks to condemn the terrorism and aggression of groups attacking Israel. Usually, UN resolutions have focused exclusively on condemning Israeli acts of self-defense launched in response to terrorist attacks. The UNGA is due to vote on the US-drafted resolution on Tuesday. All 28 European Union countries have agreed to support the resolution.
The resolution – one of outgoing U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley’s last actions at the body – has won EU backing, the American mission to the UN said in a statement.
Its main provision asks UN members to “condemn Hamas for repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence, thereby putting civilians at risk”, according to a draft text.
The resolution also demands that Hamas “and other militant actors including Palestinian Islamic Jihad cease all provocative actions and violent activity, including by using airborne incendiary devices”.
The latter is probably a reference to the firebomb balloons and kites that have been launched from Gaza, the Palestinian territory that Hamas controls along with Israel, across the border.
Hamas has been responsible for thousands of terrorist attacks upon Israel, over 10,000 rockets fired from Hamas-controlled Gaza into Israel since the group seized the territory from Fatah in 2007, as well as scores of suicide bombings and other assaults which have claimed the lives of over 1,000 Israelis and the wounding and maiming of thousands more.
A spokeswoman for the president of the current UN General Assembly, told reporters on Monday the resolution would be put to a vote among its 193 members at 3pm local time on Thursday.
Adoption of the resolution would require 97 votes among the 193 member states. So-called non-aligned nations, which are a majority in the assembly, customarily follow the Palestinians’ lead in such votes.