Almost a month after the Hamas attack on Israel, the strategic lines of the main actors are clearly visible. China, Russia and Arab countries are trying to tie Israel’s hands in its desperate efforts to repel the terrorist attacks of HAMAS. One of the tools they apply is the UN General Assembly Resolution A/ES-10/L.25, adopted mostly at their initiative.
Almost a month after the Hamas attack on Israel, the strategic lines of the main actors are clearly visible. China, Russia and Arab countries are trying to tie Israel’s hands in its desperate efforts to repel the terrorist attacks of HAMAS. One of the tools they apply is the UN General Assembly Resolution A/ES-10/L.25, adopted mostly at their initiative. The document is focused on the extreme vulnerability of the civilian population of Gaza and does not say a word about what triggered the humanitarian crisis there. There is nothing about Hamas, which since its rise to power 1) regularly kills and maims its opponents, including throwing them from the roofs of buildings; 2) sends humanitarian aid for its terrorist purposes; 3) uses humanitarian facilities as its strongholds and “human shields”; 4) indiscriminately attacks Israeli populated areas.
Tellingly, the above mentioned UNGA Resolution was adopted under an agenda item entitled “Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” It is designed to create an image of an aggressive and bloodthirsty Israeli state, which is opposed only by the civilian population of Gaza. Speaking at the UN Security Council on behalf of the Arab Group, Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud bluntly said that this is “[Israel’s] war against our people in Gaza.” The same point had been made earlier by Ayman Safadi, FM of Jordan.
Importantly, neither the Palestinian representative, nor the Arab group at the UN, nor China, nor Russia – none of them directly condemned Hamas. Instead, they promote the narrative according to which “Israel is blatantly ignoring the views of the vast majority of UN members” and “the entire international community.”
Some UN structures are also playing along with the Arab group, China and Russia, actively spreading unconfirmed information. For instance, UNRWA and UNICEF representatives regularly mention that more than 3,000 Palestinian children have been killed since 7 October 2023. They either do not specify the source of information, or cite the Save the Children organisation, which in its turn refers to UN OCHA. Meanwhile, the latter always publishes these data with а reference to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
(Scheme: UNRWA/UNICEF -> Save the Children -> UN OCHA -> Ministry of Health, Palestine).
In other words, senior UNRWA and UNICEF officials keep on talking about 3,000 dead children without making a disclaimer that the UN cannot independently verify this data. Thus, they contribute to the creation of a certain information background.
When it comes to the West, there is an evident lack of solidarity. For instance, France verbally condemns Hamas, but together with Spain, Portugal, Norway and others supported the UNGA Resolution A/ES-10/L.25. The USA, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Croatia voted against, and the rest of Western community abstained. Even among the Benelux countries there is no unity on this issue. It is clear that Europe at the moment is definitely not able to support Israel in a consolidated manner. In fact, Israel can only rely on his own resources and the United States.