UN General Assembly Condemns Israel for Excessive Force Against Gaza Civilians

US amendment aiming to condemn Hamas fails

A UN General Assembly resolution called “Protection of the Palestinian civilian population” has passed overwhelmingly on Wednesday, with a vote of 120-8. The resolution condemns Israel’s government for its excessive, disproportionate, and indiscriminate targeting of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

The resolution includes non-binding calls for the UN Secretary-General to come up with a mechanism to protect the Gaza civilians. It was materially the same resolution the US vetoed in the UN Security Council.

The US tried to push an amendment which would’ve condemned Hamas, and accused them of “promotion of violence” at the Gaza border. The amendment failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to be added, at 62-58.

The US is angrily condemning the resolution, with Nikki Haley declaring the resolution “morally bankrupt.” She insisted the 62-58 vote on the amendment showed the world was increasingly in agreement that Hamas, and not Israel, was really to blame for the violence, even though the criticism of Israel passed overwhelmingly.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.