U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley lashed out at Hamas during an emergency U.N. Security Council session on Wednesday, saying that Hamas' claim of responsibility for this week's "outrageous terrorist attack" against Israel "proves what we have consistently maintained – namely, that Hamas' stated purpose is the destruction of Israel."
Haley had called the emergency session after Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired rockets and mortar shells into Israel earlier this week, unleashing the most intense fighting since the 2014 Gaza war. In Wednesday's session Haley said a statement proposed by the U.S. that would have the council condemn the Hamas attacks "should have been a no-brainer" – but it was blocked.
Haley said that Hamas' purpose of destroying Israel was also evident "when it builds terror tunnels underneath Israeli territory, and that is its purpose when it orchestrates violent protests and riots at the boundary fence calling for a 'March of Return.'"
According to Haley, "All of these acts are indivisible parts of a single strategy. That strategy is to do as much damage as possible to Israel and to provoke a response in self-defense that will create international condemnation of Israeli actions."
Haley then said Hamas' violent actions "prove the falsehood of the idea that the people of Gaza require international protection – the people of Gaza do not need protection from an external source, the people of Gaza need protection from Hamas. It is the actions of Hamas that are putting Gazans in grave danger. Hamas' indiscriminate attacks against Israel inevitably bring a response."
Haley then asked: "Who among us would accept 70 rockets launched into your country? We all know the answer to that. No one would."
Kuwait's Ambassador to the U.N. Mansour Al-Otaibi, the council's Arab representative, countered that "the Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for the latest escalation on our occupied land.
"For as long as this occupation continues, the Palestinians have a legitimate right to fight it and to defend their aspirations and their dreams to independence and dignified and free life," he said. "We support their fight and commend their steadfastness in front of the destructive Israeli machine."
Al-Otaibi said three council press statements Kuwait proposed that called for an independent investigation of the deadly Gaza protests were also blocked – by the United States.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, said the Palestinians "totally reject" Israel "casting itself as the victim, when it is in fact the occupier, aggressor and oppressor and has appointed itself judge, jury and executioner of the Palestinian people."
He said the latest cycle of violence was "fueled and incited by a series of Israeli aggressions and rhetoric," particularly since the mass Gaza border protests began on March 30.
Diplomats said the U.S. indicated in closed consultations that it will veto the Kuwaiti resolution. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon called the Kuwaiti resolution "shameful," holding up pages from the draft and saying, "It doesn't even mention Hamas."
He also called for council action "to condemn Hamas for its war crimes against Israelis and Palestinians" and "to pass a resolution designating Hamas as a terrorist organization," just as it did with the Islamic State group and with al-Qaida. This would enable the council to impose sanctions on Hamas, he said.
But there is almost no chance that the divided council will take those actions.
U.N. Mideast envoy Nikolay Mladenov told the council that the latest escalation was a warning of "how close to the brink of war we are every day."
He said the international community should "unequivocally condemn" Hamas' massive attack against Israel, using 216 rockets and mortars.
Meanwhile, the German Embassy in Israel issued a statement condemning Hamas for its role in triggering the latest escalation. "Germany unequivocally condemns the escalation of violence," the statement said.
"There is no justification, under any circumstances, for the continuation of the massive mortar attack on Israel from Gaza. Especially malicious was the firing of a large portion of the rockets at Israeli cities and communities exactly during the hours of heavy traffic when people go to work. As a result of that barrage, a kindergarten was hit, among others. We wish the wounded a speedy recovery. "
"It is Israel's right to [maintain] its security, defend its borders and respond proportionately to attacks," the statement continued. Germany's Federal Foreign Office refused to condemn Israel's airstrikes, but said that Germany supports the efforts to restore calm because the missile attacks have ceased.
