JERUSALEM— With the UN poised to vote on an anti-Israel resolution proposed by Algeria, demanding an end to Israel’s self-defense against Hamas, the Biden administration’s voting intentions remain undisclosed.
The irony of Algeria, known for its anti-Israel stance, drafting the resolution, is reminiscent of the late Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Abba Eban’s, quip: “If Algeria introduced a (U.N.) resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions.”
This proposed resolution has sparked widespread condemnation, including from a prominent Republican U.S. senator.
“This resolution is one of several attacks on Israel planned at the United Nations, aimed at undermining the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress,” a leading Republican U.S. senator told Digital.
“I will collaborate with my Republican colleagues and President Trump to reverse these measures. This includes reassessing our relationship with the UN and Palestinians, potentially reducing aid, imposing sanctions on responsible officials, and countering supportive governments and NGOs,” he stated.
Digital reported last week that UN experts speculated that the Biden administration might follow a similar path to the Obama administration, which failed to veto an anti-Israel resolution in its final weeks.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield addressed the UN on Monday but didn’t mention the pending draft resolution. However, she emphasized, “The United States has shown leadership in pursuing these goals: Ending the Gaza war by securing hostage release and increasing aid to Palestinians; preventing a wider regional conflict while countering Iran’s actions; and maintaining unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.”
Digital contacted the and the United States mission to the UN for comment on the proposed draft.
Anne Bayefsky, President of Human Rights Voices in New York, told Digital, “Hamas allies are eager for the outgoing Biden administration to refuse to veto the upcoming anti-Israel resolution at the UN Security Council.” She alleged, “For weeks, the United States has been shaping the draft’s language, as leaked to news outlets Al Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.”
“The UN-U.S. operation pretends to focus on humanitarianism, but it’s the opposite. It prolongs the war and hostage suffering, ignoring the root causes: Iran, antisemitism, and the denial of Israel’s right of self-defense. If adopted, this would be the fifth Security Council resolution President Biden has allowed to pass since October 7th without condemning Hamas,” she said.
Addressing the Security Council earlier, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, criticized the draft resolution, stating, “Any resolution not conditioning a ceasefire on hostage release abandons the 101 hostages to terrorists.”
Danon added, “This decision empowers Hamas and terrorism, abandoning the hostages. We won’t let the UN restrain Israel from protecting its citizens. We will fight until all hostages are returned.”