The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted by a sweeping majority a resolution condemning Israel for killing Palestinians in Gaza and rejected a US attempt to pin the blame on Hamas. The resolution put forward by Algeria, Turkey and the Palestinians secured 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with 8 votes against and 45 abstentions. The resolution came in response to a similar resolution being vetoed by the United States in the 15-member UN Security Council earlier this month. The resolution deplores Israel's use of "excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" against Palestinians, particularly in Gaza. Australia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo and the Solomon Islands joined the United States and Israel in voting against the resolution. Germany abstained. Deaths and injuries More than 120 Palestinian protesters in Gaza have been killed by Israeli soldiers since late March, as well as nearly 4,000 injured. Israel blames Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, for inciting the protests. No Israelis have been killed. The resolution goes further in requesting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres develop proposals "on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation, including ... recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism." The idea of an international protection force was put forward at meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul last month, but would need the support of the UN Security Council where the United States has a veto. The resolution also calls for "immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip." Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the strip in 2007. The blockade and Israeli offensives in Gaza in 2008 and 2014 have turned Gaza into a humanitarian catastrophe, with the UN warning it will be unlivable for its 2 million inhabitants by 2020. The resolution did condemn rockets fired from Gaza into Israel, but did not explicitly mention Hamas. About 70 rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza on May 29, most of which were intercepted by Israel's missile defense system. Read more: 'General disregard' for Palestine, says UN coordinator in Gaza Reaction from Israel and US Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the General Assembly before the vote that in supporting the Arab and Islamic backed resolution UN members were supporting a "terrorist organization" and "empowering Hamas." The United States sought to add an amendment to the resolution blaming Hamas for "inciting" violence. The amendment received 62 votes in favor, with 58 against and 42 abstentions. However, it failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to be adopted. US Ambassador Nikki Haley called the resolution biased against Israel. "For some, attacking Israel is their favorite political sport. That's why we are here today," said Haley. "I wish everyone supporting this one-sided resolution would put as much energy into encouraging President Abbas to the negotiating table," she said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is a rival of Hamas and has imposed punitive measures on Gaza. In recent days he has faced protests in the West Bank from Palestinians opposed to his policies against Hamas. Palestinians officials have said they no longer view the US as a neutral arbiter in any negotiations with the Israelis since US President Donald Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there in May. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah targeted The convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah of the West Bank-based Fatah group was targeted as he made a rare visit to Gaza on March 13. The Palestinian Authority said it held Hamas responsible, having failed to provide adequate security. Hamas claimed the attack was aimed at hurting efforts to achieve unity and reconciliation. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year Land Day march Some 30,000 Palestinians took part in the first of the demonstrations on March 30, marking Land Day, named for the 1976 Arab protests against Israeli plans to expropriate land. Some demonstrators ran at the border fence and 16 were killed by Israeli troops with others injured, and some dying later. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year Netanyahu: 'We will hurt them' Speaking on April 9 in the Israeli town of Sderot, near Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We have one clear and simple rule and we seek to express it constantly: If someone tries to attack you — rise up and attack him. We will not allow, here on the Gaza border, them to hurt us. We will hurt them." How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year Protesters injured Palestinians ran to help a young man injured during the border protest on April 13. Stones had been thrown at border guards and the Israeli troops fired on the demonstrators. Some 45 Palestinians died and hundreds were injured between March 30 and April 27. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year Boy killed on April 20 Protest continued on April 20th, with some Palestinian protesters using kites to transport Molotov cocktails and firebombs over the fence. Israeli snipers killed at least four more Palestinians on April 20th, including a 15-year-old boy. The UN Middle East envoy dubbed the killing "outrageous." How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year May 15: US Embassy officially moved to Jerusalem from Tel-Aviv US President Donald Trump's daugher Ivanka is part of the delegation that opened the new US Embassy in Jerusalem. The transfer of the embassy triggered a fresh wave of protests in which 62 people were killed. The deaths have considerably heightened tensions in the area. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year US no longer seen as partner in Middle East negotiations As the US celebrated its embassy move from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, Palestinian protests escalated. The events coincided with the 70th anniversary of the foundation of modern-day Israel, and Nakba Day, when Palestinians recall those who fled or were expelled as Israel was established. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year More than 60 people were killed in protests Palestinians carried away a protester injured on May 15th after demonstrations marking the 70th anniversary of Nakba. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year Palestinian youths run from tear gas Hamas official Salah al-Bardaweel said on Palestinian television that all but 12 of the dead were members of Hamas. Mahmoud Abbas the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization is planning to pursue a war crimes complaint against Israel at the International Criminal Court. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year Israeli airstrikes pound Hamas military targets in Gaza Following an increase in cross-border violence in mid-July, Israel pounded Hamas military targets in Gaza, while Palestinian militants fired more than 170 rockets and mortars into Israel. Two Palestinian boys, aged 15 and 16, were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza's health ministry. Three Israelis were injured after a rocket landed on a residential home in the Israeli city of Sderot. How the Gaza protests against Israel escalated this year Israel temporarily closes its Kerem Shalom cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip Days later, Israel blocked all fuel and gas transfers through the Kerem Shalom crossing with the Gaza Strip for six days "in light of the continued terrorist attempts of Hamas." Israel's defense ministry said essential food and medicine deliveries would still get through. The crossing had been shuttered to commercial trade a week earlier. Non-binding resolution Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour called the US amendment blaming Hamas as "games and gimmicks" and urged ambassadors not to be "fooled" by the US proposal. "We need protection of our civilian population," he told the General Assembly before the vote, adding that the resolution was "intended to contribute to a de-escalation of the volatile situation." General Assembly resolutions are non-binding and there is no veto, but they carry political weight. Turkey's Ambassador Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu said the resolution was "about taking sides with international law" and showing the Palestinians that the world "does care about their suffering." The General Assembly last held a contentious vote against the United States in December, when it overwhelming rejected Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there. cw/se (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters) Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.<doc-sep>The United Nations General Assembly voted Wednesday to blame Israel for violence in Gaza last month, rejecting a U.S. amendment that would have condemned Hamas as well. The 193-member assembly approved the resolution by a vote of 120-8, with 45 nations abstaining. The measure, sponsored by Palestine, Turkey and Algeria, comes roughly a month after dozens of Palestinians were killed during protests along the Gaza border. Prior to voting on the full text, the assembly voted on a U.S. amendment to condemn Hamas. While the measure received support from a narrow majority, it did not earn two-thirds support, and failed. ADVERTISEMENT The assembly went on to approve the original resolution. #UNGA adopts resolution on Protection of the Palestinian civilian population with vote of 120 countries in favour; 8 against; and 45 abstentions. https://t.co/COtk2FGIlX pic.twitter.com/nl94JKJTxc — United Nations (@UN) June 13, 2018 U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley Nikki HaleyCoalition of human rights groups calling for boycott of Beijing Olympics Trump critics push new direction for GOP Pollster Frank Luntz: 'I would bet on' Trump being 2024 GOP nominee MORE voted against the motion, and sharply denounced the vote as "morally bankrupt" in a statement. #BREAKING: Ambassador Nikki Haley reacts to the adoption of a biased @UN General Assembly resolution targeting #Israel: pic.twitter.com/HurXg7oWvO — US Mission to the UN (@USUN) June 13, 2018 Haley expressed optimism, however, about the number of countries that supported the U.S. amendment to condemn Hamas. “We had more countries on the right side than the wrong side. By their votes, those countries recognized that peace will only be achieved when realities are recognized, including Israel’s legitimate security interests, and the need to end Hamas’ terrorism,” she said. ADVERTISEMENT The resolution attributes violence and casualties since March 30 to Israeli forces. It also condemns the use of force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians, and calls for Israel to open “access into and out of the Gaza Strip.” Violence in Gaza escalated in mid-May, when Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians. The killings coincided with the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. The Trump administration has uniformly blamed Hamas for the violence. Haley also applauded Israeli forces for their "restraint" in the wake of the bloodshed. "No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has," Haley said at a May 15 U.N. Security Council meeting. "In fact, the record of several countries here today suggest that they would be less restrained." Haley's comments came as the U.S. blocked a Security Council resolution calling for a probe into the violence.<doc-sep>
The U.N. General Assembly condemned Israel on Wednesday for excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians and asked U.N. chief Antonio Guterres to recommend an "international protection mechanism" for occupied Palestinian territory. The General Assembly adopted a resolution with 120 votes in favor, eight against and 45 abstentions. It was put forward in the General Assembly by Algeria, Turkey and the Palestinians after the United States vetoed a similar resolution in the 15-member U.N. Security Council earlier this month. The General Assembly text condemned the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian areas, but did not mention Hamas, the group that controls Gaza. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but carry political weight. "The nature of this resolution clearly demonstrates that politics is driving the day. It is totally one-sided. It makes not one mention of the Hamas terrorists who routinely initiate the violence in Gaza," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the General Assembly before the vote. The United States failed in a bid to amend the resolution with a paragraph that would have condemned violence by Hamas. "By supporting this resolution you are colluding with a terrorist organization, by supporting this resolution you are empowering Hamas," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told the General Assembly before the vote. Australia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Solomon Islands and Togo joined Israel and the United States in voting against the resolution. More than 120 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza border protests since March 30. The largest number of deaths occurred on May 14, the day the United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Amid international condemnation of its use of lethal force, Israel said many of the dead were militants and that the Israeli army was repelling attacks on the border fence between Israel and Gaza. Washington has maintained Israel's right to defend itself and refrained from joining calls for Israeli restraint. Palestinians and their supporters said most protesters were unarmed civilians and Israel used excessive force against them. "We need protection of our civilian population," Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour told the General Assembly before the vote, adding that the resolution was "intended to contribute to a de-escalation of the volatile situation." "We cannot remain silent in the face of the most violent crimes and human rights violations being systematically perpetrated against our people," Mansour said. The resolution asked Guterres to report back within 60 days on proposals "on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation, including ... recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism." In December 128 countries defied President Donald Trump and voted in favor of a U.N. General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.