The US administration has stepped up its diplomatic efforts to obtain crucial support at the UN General Assembly for a draft resolution condemning Hamas for firing rockets from Gaza into Israel, a move rejected by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The Authority considered the US move "provocative" for ignoring the actual reasons of the conflict, saying it aims to "absolve Israel of its responsibilities" as a state occupying Palestinian land.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley is lobbying for the support of the 193 members at the General Assembly before presenting the proposed draft resolution in order to ensure a major diplomatic achievement in her name before the termination of her mission at the end of this year.
Instead of distributing the draft resolution, the US mission handed over a memorandum, which Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a copy of, to a number of countries.
The memo states that the General Assembly issues a disproportionate number of resolutions against Israel each year, adding that such anti-Israel resolutions harm the credibility of the United Nations.
It says the proposed resolution condemns rocket firings into Israel and demands Hamas to put an end to the use of violence.
In nearly 20 resolutions critical of Israel every year, none of them mentions Hamas, indicated the memo, adding that there is no General Assembly resolution referring to the movement.
The draft resolution will also include reaffirming the support for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The memo also called on Hamas to stop all provocative actions and violent activities, including the use of airborne incendiary devices.
The US memo urged UN chief Antonio Guterres and the organization’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, to cooperate more on stability with concerned partners.
In response, the Palestine Mission to the UN sent a counter-memo to member states indicating that the US draft is "an extension of the current political decisions of the US administration against the Palestinian people”, beginning with its decision on Jerusalem in December 2017.
The mission warned that such behavior is detrimental to the peace process and exacerbates the political stalemate.
It stressed that the draft, issued amid the US administration's continued failure to recognize Israeli violations against Palestinian rights, aims to exempt Israel from its responsibilities at the international level.
The mission also strongly rejected claims that General Assembly resolutions on the Palestinian issue and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are hostile to Israel, explaining that these decisions “are firmly based on international law and resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, including Resolution 2334.”
The Palestinian mission regretted that the US draft ignored all preceding resolutions, undermining decades of international efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
It considered the initiative “provocative” with “dubious objectives” and in no way contributing to the serious efforts of concerned parties to reduce tension and reach reconciliation and peace.
