Danon: Call for U.N. Security Force in Gaza ‘Hypocritical’

A demand by Kuwait that the U.N. send a peacekeeping force to Gaza in order to “protect” the population is “the height of cynicism and another attempt to perpetrate lies in place of truth on a whole new and lower level,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. “The shameful proposition is a vote of support for the war crimes of Hamas against Israel and against residents of Gaza, who are sent to their deaths to preserve the rule of Hamas. We will continue to defend Israelis from the actions of Hamas terrorists.”

Kuwait made the proposal for the force to ensure the safety of Gaza residents in a letter to the U.N. Security Council, which is set to meet in the coming days. Officials said that the proposal was likely to come up for a vote next Monday or Tuesday, but that it was unlikely to be approved, as the United States was expected to veto the proposal.

The U.N. Human Rights Council, meanwhile, is expected to meet Friday to condemn Israel for the death of 62 Gazans in riots on Monday. According to a top Hamas terrorist, at least 50 of them were Hamas terrorists. Israel is not a member of the Council, but Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman called on Israel not to cooperate with the group in any way. “Israel is facing a double threat – the terror from Gaza, and the hypocritical attacks of the U.N. Human Rights Council.” Liberman called on Israel to withdraw from the Council, and to urge the United States to do so. Liberman did not comment on the fact that he called for an Israeli withdrawal from a body it is not a member of.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu urged the Palestinians to sue Israel in the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Speaking to local media, Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey was “analyzing what kind of legal steps can be taken” against Israel, and that Turkey would assist the Palestinians in doing so. In addition, he said, Turkey would make sure that the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council took up the matter.