The U.S Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has iterated criticism at Hamas for their attack on Israel.
She averred, “There is no justification for terror. None whatsoever. You all know that and we must condemn Hamas’s acts of terror.”
She added, “Hamas’ goals are single-minded and they’re sickening; they’re determined to destroy Israel and kill Jews.”
Thomas-Greenfield made these comments as she addressed the UN General Assembly on Friday, October 27, 2023, ahead of an emergency vote.
The United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote on the Israel-Gaza resolution presented by the Arab states led by Jordan.
The resolution, calls for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian corridors in and out of Gaza. The resolution will be voted on at the end of the meeting.
UN General Assembly resolutions are not binding, but are considered symbolically important.
The session was convened because the UN Security Council has so far been unable to agree on a resolution on Gaza with a humanitarian focus.
In her address, Thomas-Greenfield noted that the lives of Palestinians must be protected, as well as the lives of UN personnel, humanitarian workers and journalists.
“We mourn the loss of every single innocent life in this crisis, every single one. We must not look away, and we must not become numb to the pain and the suffering of people like [Al Jazeera’s] Wael Dahdouh, a Palestinian journalist whose wife, son, daughter and grandson were killed in Gaza with week.”
“The United States has made clear in public and private conversations that as Israel exercises its right – and indeed its responsibility – to defend its people against the terrorist group, it must do so in line with the rules of war.”
Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Concerning the resolution before the assembly, The U.S Ambassador to the UN said, “As you’ve noticed, two keywords are missing from the resolution before us.
“The first is ‘Hamas’. It is outrageous that this resolution fails to name the perpetrators of the October 7 terrorist attack,” she pointed out.
“Another key word missing in this resolution is ‘hostage’. This resolution makes no mention of the innocent people, including citizens of many of you here today,” she added.
“These are omissions of evil and they give cover to and they empower Hamas’s brutality. And no member state should allow that to happen. That is why we have co-sponsored an amendment by Canada that corrects these glaring omissions; this amendment is straightforward and is unobjectionable.”
Linda Thomas-Greenfield
The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of the resolution.
The 193-member body passed the resolution by a margin of 120 to 14, with 45 countries abstaining. The United States and Israel voted no.
U.S Imposes Sanctions On Hamas
Earlier on Friday, the U.S issued a second round of sanctions on what it described as key Hamas-linked officials and financial networks.
In a statement, the U.S Treasury Department linked the sanctions, which target assets in a Hamas investment portfolio as well as those accused of helping Hamas evade sanctions, to the attacks on October 7, 2023.
A Hamas official in Iran, members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a Gaza-based entity that the US Treasury said has served as a conduit for illicit Iranian funds to Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group are among those targeted in the measures.
The Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Wally Adeyemo, said in the statement, “Today’s action underscores the United States’ commitment to dismantling Hamas’s funding networks by deploying our counterterrorism sanctions authorities and working with our global partners to deny Hamas the ability to exploit the international financial system.”
“We will not hesitate to take action to further degrade Hamas’s ability to commit horrific terrorist attacks by relentlessly targeting its financial activities and streams of funding,” Adeyemo added.
The statement noted, “Today’s designations also underscore the critical role Iran plays in providing financial, logistical, and operational support to Hamas.”
“These actions contribute to the U.S. Government’s robust work with regional and global partners to disrupt Hamas’s vital lines of funding by leveraging the unique tools and expertise of a coalition dedicated to building a more secure Middle East region,” it added.
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