Hamas blasts UN gambit as Palestinian Authority plans next steps

Islamist group reiterates opposition to draft statehood resolution; slams PA for "another failure added to the choice of compromise" with Israel.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Hamas militants (photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas militants
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas on Wednesday reiterated its condemnation of the draft Palestinian statehood resolution that failed to pass a UN Security Council vote, prompting the Palestinian Authority to evaluate its next moves.
Palestinian news agency Ma'an cited Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri  as expressing the Islamist group's opposition to the "choice of compromise" that the bid represents for Hamas.
"Failure to get the UN Security Council to vote in favor of the PA draft resolution is another failure added to the choice of compromise," Ma'an quoted the spokesman as saying.
Hamas has blasted the resolution as a "meaningless stunt," and has lashed out at the PA and its President Mahmoud Abbas for pursuing the UN bid instead of taking action against Israel in the International Criminal Court.
The Hamas denunciation came as the PA leadership was set to convene an emergency meeting Wednesday evening to discus future steps toward statehood recognition, following the failure of the resolution at the UNSC.
According to Chief PLO envoy Saeb Erakat, the plans include setting a date to seek official membership at the ICC.
The Palestinian Authority has said that it would seek to accuse Israel of war crimes before the ICC if it becomes a member.
Erekat also said that the Palestinians would return to the United Nations Security Council after the body rejected a draft statehood resolution based on an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines and capital in east Jerusalem.
Palestinian media cited Erekat as condemning the rejection of the UN resolution as "a blow to international law."
While the Palestinian draft failed to receive the minimum nine votes in favor, Washington's  vote against it was enough to defeat it. The United States is one of the five veto-wielding permanent members.
There were eight votes in favor, including France, Russia and China, two against and five abstentions, among them Britain. Australia joined the United States in voting against the measure.
The European and African camps were split in the vote. France and Luxembourg voted in favor of the resolution while Britain and Lithuania abstained. Among the Africans, Chad voted yes while Rwanda and Nigeria abstained.


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