US Calls Draft UN Resolution on Israel 'One-Sided'
Ambassador Nikki Haley says US will 'unquestionably' veto draft
The United States will "unquestionably" veto a Kuwaiti-sponsored resolution on protecting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank when it comes up for a vote Friday in the Security Council. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley called the draft a "grossly one-sided" and "morally bankrupt" approach to stopping the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. "There is not one single mention of Hamas in the resolution when Hamas is chiefly responsible for the recent violence in Gaza," Haley said in a statement late Thursday. She said that while the draft demands Israel stop "excessive and indiscriminate" use of force, it was Hamas that fired 70 rockets into Israeli towns this week. Haley warned that any council member voting in favor of the draft resolution "will clarify their own lack of fitness to take part in any credible negotiations between the two parties." As a permanent member of the Security Council, the United States has veto power and can kill a draft. The Kuwaiti draft expresses "grave concern" at the surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians living in Hamas-ruled Gaza — the worst violence in four years. It calls for an "immediate, durable and fully respected cease-fire," and it asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a written report on an "international protection mechanism" for Gaza. But, Haley stressed, the draft talks about the "Israeli occupation while making no mention of Hamas." About 120 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the end of March. The protesters are demanding the right to return to their former homes inside Israel. They are angry about the U.S. Embassy's move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and their overall plight as Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary. Israel says Hamas is using the protests as cover to try to infiltrate the border. It says it has the right to protect its territory.