6 Dec, 2018 22:22

Haley not going out with a bang after US-sponsored anti-Hamas draft fails at UNGA

The US-propelled draft resolution targeting Palestinian Hamas failed to pass a two-thirds majority threshold at the UN General Assembly vote in what is seen is a major upset for outgoing US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley.

The resolution garnered 87 votes in favor and 57 against, thus falling short of securing a required two-thirds majority for the motion to pass. Thirty-six member-states abstained from the vote.

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The resolution would have condemned Hamas, which was in control of the Gaza Strip from 2007 to 2014 and has been again since 2016. The document was in the works for several days while Haley sought to reconcile its text with the EU and major Arab nations.

The final draft denounces Hamas "for repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence, thereby putting civilians at risk," demands it and other militant groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad "cease all provocative actions and violent activity," including "airborne incendiary devices."

Haley has put a great deal of personal effort into making sure that what could have been the first-ever UN resolution condemning Hamas found support within the 193-strong body of nations.

It was reported that she had sent letters to all UN missions, saying that the US “takes the outcome of the vote very seriously.”

However, the thinly veiled threat did not sit well with Qatar, which called a procedural vote some 20 minutes before the vote on the resolution, which arguably sealed its fate.

Qatar argued that a two-thirds majority instead of a simple majority should be required for the resolution to pass. The motion, to the dismay of the US, was narrowly approved.

The resolution might have been a swan song for the outgoing diplomat, who abruptly announced her resignation in October, an unnamed Security Council diplomat told AFP.

“She would like to go out with something,” he said.

Haley’s strenuous effort was fully supported by the Trump administration, which has been unapologetic in doing Israel’s bidding at the UN. Haley repeatedly blasted the UN for its alleged bias against Israel, calling the organization’s treatment of the Jewish state “unfair.”

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Ahead of the crucial vote, US Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt attempted to drum up support for the resolution with US allies in the Arab world, reaching out to representatives of Morocco, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt and Qatar, Haaretz reported on Tuesday.

In a letter sent to the Arab missions, Greenblatt reportedly said that the Arab states “have no reason” to oppose the US-sponsored draft if they are against terrorism and for the stability in the region.

Haley has been one of the leading pro-Israel voices in the Trump administration. During her tenure as ambassador, the US quit the UN Human Rights Council, which Haley described as "a cesspool of political bias” and “a protector of human rights abusers”.

“Since its creation, the council has adopted more resolutions condemning Israel than against the rest of the world combined,” Haley charged at the time, slamming the UN body as a “self-serving organization.”

UNGA resolutions are not legally binding for members, but are highly-respected and encouraged opinions.

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