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Palestinian U.N. delegate 'forgets' Hamas
Israel ambassador to U.N. Security Council tells Palestinian counterpart: 'You didn't use the word Hamas once. I will spell it out for you, H-A-M-A-S'
Yitzhak Benhorin
The Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Riad Mansour, spoke Tuesday night at the U.N.'s Security Council for the second time since the ascension of Hamas to power in the Palestinian Authority, without mentioning the word Hamas. Mansour again declared that the PLO was the sole body representing the Palestinians.
Following his comments, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Gillerman deviated from his speech, and turned to the Palestinian representative, saying that there was one word missing from his speech – Hamas. You didn't use that word even once, Gillerman told Mansour, adding: Come, I'll spell it out for you how they say Hamas H-A-M-A-S. Mansour blushed and was silent.
Gillerman asked Mansour to explain who he represented – Mahmoud Abbas who condemned the attack or Hamas who said it was a justified operation.
Palestinian representatives in Washington and the U.N.are thought of as PLO representatives subordinate to Abbas and not to Hamas' foreign minister. They are therefore not boycotted by the United States and the EU, and can form a channel of communication between the Palestinians and the West.
The Arabs in general and the Palestinians specifically tried to turn the Security Council meeting into an attack on Israel and its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Thirteen Arab and Muslim representatives, joined by Venezuelan and Cuban representatives, attacked Israel in their speeches. But members of the Security Council showed support for Israel, and looked over an American text for a condemnation of the Tel Aviv terror attack, and a call for the PA to deal with terrorism.
Fourteen members of the Council supported the American condemnation, which is supposed to be read by the Security Council president as a declaration to the press, but the 15th member, Qatar, the Arab representative in the Security Council, has in the meantime prevented a unanimous decision on the statement.
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