Hamas welcomed, but did not accept, a United Nations Security Council resolution that passed Monday, introduced by the U.S., outlining the plan President Joe Biden presented last month for a ceasefire and hostage exchange.
The resolution mirrored Biden’s proposals, which he falsely described as Israel’s proposals, though the U.S. later admitted that they were “virtually identical” to Hamas’s proposals. The resolution does not call on Hamas to disarm and requires Israel to withdraw all forces from Gaza before all of the hostages are released, meaning that it lets Hamas keep them, potentially indefinitely.
Hamas welcomed the resolution but did not explicitly agree to it, saying it looked forward to continued negotiations. The Times of Israel reported:
“The movement would like to emphasize its readiness to cooperate with the mediators to enter into indirect negotiations on the implementation of these principles that are in line with the demands of our people and our resistance,” the Hamas statement says.
“We also affirm the continuation of our endeavor and struggle… to achieve their national rights, foremost of which is defeating the occupation and establishing an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the right of return and self-determination,” adds the terror group, which openly seeks Israel’s destruction.
Essentially, Hamas pocketed the compromises in the resolution while sticking to its core demand that Israel end the war and allow it to keep its weapons and return to complete control of the Gaza Strip.
Critics slammed the Biden administration for the resolution, saying it elevated Hamas instead of seeking to destroy it:
Today’s UN Security Council resolution is fatally flawed for one reason above all others: It treats Hamas as a legitimate actor. The US position should always be that Hamas is a brutal terrorist group that should be destroyed. And that its state sponsors must be held accountable.
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) June 10, 2024
The U.S. pursued the resolution just two days after Israel rescued four hostages, under heavy fire, from central Gaza.
Israel said that it would accept the proposal, but would not give up on its central war aim of destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, which it views as essential to its security.
“The movement would like to emphasize its readiness to cooperate with the mediators to enter into indirect negotiations on the implementation of these principles that are in line with the demands of our people and our resistance,” the Hamas statement says.
“We also affirm the continuation of our endeavor and struggle… to achieve their national rights, foremost of which is defeating the occupation and establishing an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the right of return and self-determination,” adds the terror group, which openly seeks Israel’s destruction.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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