False Claims Promoted by the U.S. Ambassador at the Security Council

The United Nations Security Council was unable to adopt a draft resolution presented by the United Arab Emirates on the escalation in Gaza. This was due to a U.S. veto against the draft, despite support by 13 out of the 15 UNSC members. The United Kingdom abstained from the vote.

Gaza Ceasefire Draft Resolution

The draft resolution called for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds and reiterated its call on all parties to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, especially with regard to the protection of civilians. Additionally, the draft called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, ensuring humanitarian aid reaches the besieged strip.

The Security Council held a morning session last Thursday in response to the letter from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in which he activated Article 99 of the United Nations Charter, which states that “the Secretary-General may alert the Security Council to any matter that he deems may threaten maintaining international peace and security.”

After voting on the draft resolution and using its veto, Robert Wood, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said that his country, despite the hasty process and the lack of proper consultations from the sponsors of the draft resolution, engaged in the negotiations in good faith.

Wood also expressed his disappointment at member states ignoring the recommendations presented by the U.S., describing the latest draft resolution as “unbalanced and removed from reality." He asserted that “it does not allow us to advance on the field in any concrete way." He continued by making several claims that lack factual support or contained misleading elements and misrepresented information that had already been proven.

Wood Blames Hamas for Truce Collapse

During his speech before the Council, Wood attributed the entry of aid trucks into Gaza, the seven-day truce, and the subsequent prisoner exchange deal to U.S. diplomacy, facilitated through collaboration with Qatar and Egypt. However, according to his portrayal, Hamas had different objectives. He asserted, “Hamas's refusal to release more women and young women led to the truce's failure and the resumption of fighting.” He reiterated this claim later, stating, "The truce ended due to Hamas' decision."

On December 1, Agence France-Presse reported that a source close to Hamas indicated the movement's willingness to extend the truce again after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an end to the fighting in Gaza. The source highlighted, "Mediators are exerting strong, continuous efforts to extend the truce for an additional day and aim to further extend it thereafter."

Additionally, Egyptian sources familiar with the mediation between Israel and Hamas, involving Cairo, informed Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper that the responsibility for the breakdown of negotiations to prolong the truce rested with the Israeli government. They explained, "All attempts to persuade Israel to extend the truce failed. Mediators observed Hamas's significant cooperation, as they proposed a list that included elders and men, not previously agreed upon in the prisoner exchange, seen as a proactive step."

The source explained to the newspaper, “The proposal to include elderly people to the list came after Israel rejected another list presented by Hamas, which included three bodies of two children and their mother, in addition to releasing the father, despite the conditions of the current stage not applying to him. This was intended for humanitarian reasons, allowing him to bury his family killed in a previous Israeli bombing."

"Throughout the negotiations, Israel categorically refused to accept the bodies of the Israeli family," the source added. "Their refusal was evidently driven by the fear of potential internal unrest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the bodies were confirmed to have perished in a bombing, sparking outrage in the domestic front that always urged caution in areas suspected to hold detainees."

An Egyptian source previously confirmed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper that Hamas informed mediators that the list negotiated to extend the truce for an eighth day were the last women and children the movement had access to, and that it would need additional time to communicate with other factions regarding prisoners held by these factions.

Wood Claims Security Council Refused To Condemn Sexual Crimes

During the Security Council session held on Thursday, Wood emphasized that the failure of the UN Security Council to condemn Hamas' actions on October 7, specifically acts of sexual violence, is “a true moral failure.” He highlighted the alleged sexual violations.

Wood's remarks were a reference to the draft resolution sponsored by the Arab countries and adopted by the United Nations at the end of October, which called for a humanitarian truce in Gaza, after the rejection of the Canadian amendment that would have condemned the attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7 and demanded the immediate release of the hostages held by Hamas.

At the time, the resolution received majority support with 120 votes in favor, while 14 voted against it, and 45 members abstained from voting. However, neither the provisions of the resolution, the rejected Canadian amendment, nor the speeches of member state representatives - including Israel's representative at the Security Council - contained allegations related to sexual crimes.

Wood Ignores Hamas Position on Two-State Solution

Wood informed the Council that his country does not support calls for an immediate ceasefire as long as Hamas continues to control Gaza. He described this control as “a threat that none of the member states would want next to their borders.” He added that this would only sow the seeds for the next war, "because Hamas does not want to achieve permanent peace and refuses the two-state solution."

In May 2017, the former head of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, revealed in a press conference in the Qatari capital, Doha, the movement’s new political document, in which it announced its acceptance of the idea of establishing a Palestinian state that respects the 1967 borders and lands occupied by Israel during that war.

The new document stipulates in article 20 that while the movement will not cede any part of the historical land of Palestine, Hamas considers the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the lines of June 4, 1967. This includes the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes from which they were expelled. This proposal represents a common national consensus formula, forming the basis of the two-state solution.

In 2019, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, confirmed that Hamas does not currently oppose the establishment of a state based on the 1967 borders but remains committed to not recognizing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Wood Conceals Occupation’s Crimes Against Organizations and Journalists

Before concluding his speech at the Security Council session, Wood emphasized that humanitarian aid cannot be delivered to Gaza without protecting workers in the humanitarian sector, as targeting United Nations headquarters and humanitarian centers is unacceptable, and the work of journalists in times like these is necessary and must be protected as well, without mentioning, even indirectly, the party that targets humanitarian facilities and shelters, humanitarian workers, and journalists, which is Israel. However, he did not miss an opportunity to accuse Hamas of various violations.

According to the Anadolu News Agency, over two months of continuous Israeli bombardment in Gaza resulted in the deaths of 108 UN employees. This number is unprecedented, especially since the start of the 21st century. The United Nations reports that the annual toll of peacekeepers killed has surpassed 100 since the early 2000s.

Despite international humanitarian law classifying the deliberate targeting of journalists and civilians as war crimes, the Israeli army persists in targeting civilians, journalists, and their families in the Gaza Strip since October 7. This led Reporters Without Borders to request an International Criminal Court investigation into war crimes committed against journalists during Israeli violence in Palestine in early November.

During the initial days of the Gaza war, the Israeli forces explicitly stated to international news agencies that they “cannot guarantee the safety of journalists working in the Gaza strip.” Additionally, the Israeli army imposed censorship on Gaza-related news by sending a letter to the media on October 26.

According to the government media office in the Gaza strip, the number of journalists killed during the ongoing Israeli war on the strip has reached 73. This indicates that at least one journalist has been killed daily by Israeli forces in Palestine and Lebanon since the war began.

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