Envoy Danny Danon calls update to counter-terrorism strategy an ‘important step in our activities to change the rules of the game at the UN’

Masked gunmen from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of the Hamas terror group, march with their weapons, during a large-scale drill across the Gaza strip, March 25, 2018. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)
Masked gunmen from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of the Hamas terror group, march with their weapons, during a large-scale drill across the Gaza strip, March 25, 2018. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)

 

Israel expressed satisfaction Tuesday after the United Nations condemned the use of civilians as human shields by terrorist organizations.

That position taken Tuesday by the UN General Assembly is aimed especially at Hamas, the terror group that governs in the Gaza Strip.

The condemnation of human shields was part of the UN’s update of its counter-terrorism strategy. It censured the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes, as bases of operation and locations to store weaponry.

Israeli envoy to the UN Danny Danon said the move came thanks to diplomatic efforts by Israel and the US.

“This decision is another important step in our activities to change the rules of the game at the UN,” Danon said.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon attends a UN Security Council on May 15, 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York. AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL)
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon attends a UN Security Council on May 15, 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York. AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL)

 

He said terror organizations “hide behind women and children while attacking innocents.”

The UN General Assembly also accused Israel earlier this month of using excessive force against Palestinian civilians during recent protests at the Gaza border.

Israeli leaders harshly condemned that motion as “biased,” and the US tried and failed to make an amendment to it that would have added an explicit condemnation of Hamas for firing rockets and promoting violence at the border.

Since March 30, thousands of Palestinians have gathered along the Gaza security fence each week for often violent demonstrations, which have frequently included direct armed attacks on Israeli soldiers across the border.

Hamas officials have said the purpose of these border riots is to breach the security fence and enter Israeli territory. IDF troops, in response, have used tear gas and live fire against the rioters. Over 120 Palestinians have been killed as of this week and thousands more have been injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. Dozens of them were acknowledged members of terrorist groups.

As reported by The Times of Israel