Hamas one of largest obstacles to Palestinian peace, U.S. tells UNSC
The US Ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, chastised the UN for its biased approach to Israel, noting, that it’s stance was “unfairly negative and one-sided.”
By TOVAH LAZAROFFUS Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft speaks to the United Nations Security Council, October 28 2019(photo credit: screenshot)
Hamas’ violence against its own people and Israel is despicable and remains one of the larger stumbling blocks to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft told the United Nations Security Council on Monday at its monthly debate on the Middle East.“Can you imagine the fears of Israeli mothers who know their children may spend recess running from the playground to the bomb shelter, or of Palestinian fathers who know unguided rockets fly over the roofs under which their children sleep? I condemn these indiscriminate attacks. We all should,” said Craft.The US Ambassador chastised the UN for its biased approach to Israel, noting, that it’s stance was “unfairly negative and one-sided.” She added that in the past two years, “there have been some 20 resolutions in the General Assembly either implicitly or explicitly criticizing Israel.”Craft called on the Council to scrutinize Hamas, which she said, is “one of the largest obstacles to real peace and prosperity for Palestinians, and to the resolution of this conflict. So, if this institution is genuinely concerned with peace, we should be eager to examine Hamas’ behavior more closely.”“Hamas," Craft told the UNSC, is “a terrorist organization that oppresses the Palestinian people in Gaza through intimidation and outright violence, while inciting violence against Israel.”Craft’s predecessor, Nikki Haley, had tried repeatedly without success to sway UN bodies to condemn Hamas, which has forcibly ruled Gaza since 2007.“In recent months, as frustrated residents of Gaza have voiced their opposition to the intolerable living conditions created by Hamas rule, Hamas has brutally beaten peaceful protestors, raided homes, and detained organizers and journalists advocating for better living standards. I condemn this behavior. We all should," Craft said.It is well known that Hamas indiscriminately fires rockets at Israel that are “just as likely to hit a classroom full of children as it is to strike a military asset," Craft said.“If there is anything more despicable than Hamas’ attacks on civilian areas, it is the way they treat their own children as pawns in a political game. Every Friday, Hamas encourages minors to join riots at the security fence, hoping that violence will erupt, and that the children will be injured or even killed as a result, thereby feeding their propaganda machine. A more cynical and shameful approach could not be devised. This is child abuse, plain and simple, and I condemn it. We all should,” she continued.“To remain silent in this instance would be an act against principle, and an insult to the Palestinian people,” Craft told the UNSC.
