UN Assembly blames Israel for Gaza violence, but not Hamas

The UN General Assembly approved a Palestinian-backed resolution Wednesday blaming Israel for violence in Gaza and deploring its "excessive use of force," after narrowly rejecting a US demand to add a condemnation of attacks on Israel by Gaza's Hamas rulers.

The votes reflected wide concern in the 193-member world body that the resolution sponsored by Arab and Islamic nations was one-sided and failed to even mention Hamas, which has fired over 100 rockets at Israel.

"This was a badge of shame for the UN," Danon said. But "thanks to the combined efforts with our American friends and our allies from around the world, we proved today that the automatic majority against Israel in the UN is not destiny and can be changed."