Greenblatt: Biased UNSC ignores Hamas rockets, blasts Israeli settlements

Among those expected to participate in the meeting are Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Maraud and his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki.

United Nations Security Council members must condemn Hamas rockets against Israel rather than perpetually condemning the Jewish state, US special envoy Jason Greenblatt said Thursday at the UN in New York as he issued a blistering defense of Israel.

“Instead of seeking accountability for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, terrorist groups that seek to blackmail the Israeli people through mass violence while putting the lives of the Palestinians of Gaza at risk, we are rehashing tired talking points, some 20 years old,” Greenblatt said.

In an unusual move, he made an appearance at an informal UNSC gathering, known as an Arria-formula meeting. It was organized by Indonesia, which holds the rotating UNSC presidency this month.

Indonesia invited four guest speakers to explain to brief UNSC member on the illegality of West Bank settlement activity and invited Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki to address the gathering. Israel was not invited to speak.

The meeting was held on Israel’s 71st Independence Day. It also occurred just days after four Israeli civilians were killed by Hamas rockets in souther Israel Israel.

The Trump administration has tried unsuccessfully in the last two years to sway the United Nations, including the UNSC, to condemn Hamas terror against Israel.

“It is truly shameful that in these halls there have been nearly 700 resolutions condemning actions of Israel – the region’s only real democracy – yet not one condemning Hamas’ attacks on Israelis or its abuse and neglect of the very people it purports to govern. Forget about Israel for a minute, how does that help Palestinians? Especially Palestinians in Gaza,” Greenblatt said.

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