Say Its Name: ‘Hamas’

The United Nations Security Council tried to get a resolution passed last night to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. The Russian resolution was supported by China, United Arab Emirates, Mozambique and Gabon for a total of five, while four opposed (the United States, Britain, France and Japan) and six abstained (Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Malta and Switzerland). Nine votes are needed to pass a UNSC resolution so the matter failed.

Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN was appalled that the resolution did not even mention Hamas by name, let alone condemn it. In summarizing her remarks the UN wrote that the October 7 “acts brought to mind the heinous atrocities by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Da’esh, and it is these acts by Hamas that led to the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, she said, stressing: “Civilians should not suffer for these atrocities, and it is the Council’s responsibility to address the crisis, unequivocally condemn Hamas and support Israel’s right to self-defence under the Charter of the United Nations.” However, the proposed resolution does not meet these conditions, by failing to mention Hamas, she said, calling this “outrageous and indefensible”. The United States could not vote for a resolution that dishonours victims. It is Hamas that set the crisis in motion, she said, stressing that members cannot allow the Council to shift the blame to Israel.“

*US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield*

Albania, which abstained, said that “Albania abstained from the draft resolution presented by Russia because the text failed to adequately address all critical issues, including the condemnation of terrorist attacks by Hamas.”

It is obvious and essential to call out and name and condemn Hamas. Observers may question whether the omission was done to protect Hamas or give countries an easy reason to reject the resolution so Israel can bring Hamas to justice.

But this is familiar territory. In December 2018, the UN General Assembly tried to pass “Activities of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza” (document A/73/L.42). While the text gained plurality support in a recorded vote of 87 in favour to 57 against, with 33 abstentions, it failed to meet the two-thirds adoption requirement. As summarized by the UN “The text would have had the Assembly demand that Hamas and other militant actors, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, cease all provocative actions and violent activity. It would have also encouraged tangible steps towards intra‑Palestinian reconciliation, including in support of the Egypt’s mediation effort.”

The United Nations has never in its history condemned Hamas.

After its October 7 barbarity, it is more teflon than Donald Trump: Hamas can butcher over 1,000 civilians and the United Nations won’t even mention its name.

As president, Barack Obama essentially dealt with evil by placing it in one of four buckets:

Evil to destroy (al Qaeda, ISIL)
Evil to condemn (Boko Haram, al Shabab, Hezbollah)
Evil to tolerate (governments of Syria and Saudi Arabia)
Evil to ignore (Hamas)

He went to war with the first category, tried to help other forces get rid of the second, considered it realpolitik in needing to deal with the third group and thought the fourth was other people’s problem.

That is essentially a recap of the world regarding placing Hamas in the right category. Whether the group is evil and a terrorist group is not really relevant for many. Hamas speaks for local Palestinians who want to destroy the Jewish State and move into that thriving land where grandparents used to live.

Western countries are demanding that the world call out and condemn Hamas (category 2 at a minimum) and ideally support Israel, which has a category 1 score for the group. But that will not happen because those countries are not looking for a two state solution but a single Palestine solution, and Hamas is the tip of the spear (it’s a category 3 or 4 at best, and may be a force for good).

Or maybe for them it’s just theater, as Israel is so unique that there is unlikely to be spillover into their countries.

In an intense scene from Game of Thrones (The Mountain versus The Red Viper S4E8), a man came back to avenge the rape of his sister and murder of her children. He returned to a place he despised to demand a confession from the killer and bring quick justice for the heinous crimes. “Say her name!” he demanded as they fought to a common death, as spectators looked on. So it is with Israel’s return to Gaza which it left in 2005, to reclaim hostages and bring Hamas to maximum justice.

There is no debate about the atrocities committed by Hamas, they are plain facts. When people and governments refuse to call it out, they are not simply siding with those who want to see the end of the Jewish State; they are awaiting the theater of Jews and Arabs slaughtering each other over the narrow strip of land far from their shores.

If and when the United Nations can call out the evil of Hamas, thousands of lives in the region will be saved, and the terrorist group will be on a path for elimination. I am not optimistic.