In a blow to Nikki Haley in her final weeks as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an end to the Israeli occupation just after the body rejected a U.S. resolution condemning Hamas.
Haley’s resolution, which, per a procedural vote, needed a two-thirds majority for adoption, received 87 votes in favor to 57 against. There were 33 abstentions. It condemned “Hamas for repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence,” and called for the group to stop using “airborne incendiary devices.”
Gaza, which Hamas controls, has been described as “the scene of a humanitarian disaster” as a result of Israeli policies, and Israel’s military assaults against the territory—facilitated by U.S. weaponry—have been globally blasted as “massacres” and tantamount to war crimes.
Denouncing the vote, Haley asked her “Arab brothers and sisters” to “let go” of their “hatred of Israel,” later adding that “both sides” would do well to “let this go.”
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An Irish resolution, meanwhile, entitled “Comprehensive, Just, and Lasting Peace in the Middle East,” easily passed with 156 votes in favor to six against with 12 abstentions. Australia, Israel, Liberia, Marshall Islands, and Nauru joined the United States in voting against it. It called for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine including East Jerusalem, and affirmed support for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders.
Ireland’s ambassador to the U.N. Geraldine Byrne Nason said that “settlement activity, violence, and terrorism” are all barriers to achieving such peace. She added, “A settlement of the conflict must meet Israeli and Palestinian security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, and resolve all final status issues.”
President Donald Trump announced Friday his intention to nominate State Department spokeswoman and former Fox News anchor Heather Nauert to fill Haley’s role. When it comes to Israel, Nauert will likely bring continuity. According to the Jerusalem Post, “In her briefings, when asked about controversial Israeli policies or decisions, she almost always defers to the Israeli government.”
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