U.N. ADOPTS BIASED RESOLUTION AGAINST ISRAEL

UN adopts resolution against Israel with overwhelming majority (YNET)
The United Nations General Assembly decided with a majority of 156 states to establish a committee "to look into the facts" of the killing of 19 Palestinians in Beit Hanoun. Seven countries opposed the decision and six abstained. All the European Union countries supported the Arab resolution, after its wording was softened and included a condemnation of the firing of Qassam rockets at Israel. The UN decided to "express its regret" over the Beit Hanoun incident rather than condemn Israel. (Yitzhak Benhorin, Washington)

Ambassador Bolton: Resolution against Israel biased (YNET)
US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton harshly blasted the organization, saying that the wording of a resolution considered by the General Assembly was "biased against Israel and politically motivated." According to Bolton, Israel has been targeted by the General Assembly's hostility for years. Once again, he said, the Assembly meets for an emergency session with an imbalanced resolution regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Yitzhak Benhorin, Washington)

Israel Rejects UN Resolution on Gaza Deaths - Dan Williams
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert dismissed on Sunday a UN General Assembly resolution that deplored a deadly Israeli artillery strike in Gaza, saying the forum should aim its criticism at Palestinian militants. He said Palestinian gunmen and rocket crews were to blame for the violence in Gaza, describing them as "striking civilians as a methodical and consistent policy, without those who preach morality and roll their eyes finding it fit to condemn them." (Reuters)

See also Israel's Ambassador Rebukes France
In an interview on Saturday, Israeli envoy to the UN Dan Gillerman was highly critical of France, which was particularly active in supporting a UN resolution condemning the errant shelling in Beit Hanoun in Gaza. The UN General Assembly on Friday passed a resolution condemning Israel with 156 countries in favor, seven opposed, and six abstentions. "The French demonstrated excessive eagerness to understand terror while exhibiting utter insensitivity to the pain of (Israeli) terror victims," Gillerman said. Voting "no" were the U.S., Israel, Australia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau. Abstaining were Canada, Ivory Coast, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

"The French were more active in promoting the resolution than the Qataris who submitted it. As a result of France's persuasion efforts, delegates submitted amendments to the original draft resolution, written by the Arabs, which made significant changes that allowed them to support the resolution," he said. Gillerman walked out of the voting session in protest Friday, saying his words were falling on deaf ears and that he was better off holding a nearby press conference. (Ha'aretz)

Israel at UN: "If There Is No Terror, There Will Be No Need for Self-Defense" (United Nations)

• The tenth resumed Emergency Session of the General Assembly was being "hijacked, used and abused" by member states who turned victims into accused and terrorists into victims, Dan Gillerman, Israel's Permanent Representative at the UN, told a press conference Friday.
• Gillerman said the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the Security Council had used the word "occupation." However, there was no occupation. Israel had left Gaza more than a year ago. The Palestinian Authority had chosen to turn Gaza into a terrorist base.
• "This bloodshed can end immediately, now, this second," he said. "If there is no terror, there will be no self-defense, no need for self-defense, and there will be no bloodshed."
• Another word missing from the Observer's speech, Gillerman added, was "Hamas." Hamas was the reason for what was happening. It was their declared intention to destroy Israel, but it had not been mentioned in the Council resolution, or in the Assembly resolution. Nor had mention been made of the 1,000 Kassam rockets launched from Gaza after Israel had left.
• Gillerman said the Palestinians had not stopped terror for one day. "At this moment, there are terror attacks being planned by the Palestinians," he said.
• "When we are targeting people, we are targeting people who are planning to execute terror attacks and launch Kassam rockets against our people," he said. "We are not planning to hit a single civilian." For Israel, every dead Palestinian child was a mistake and a horrible tragedy, "for them, every dead Israeli child is a victory and a cause for celebration." Beit Hanoun, where the Palestinian family was killed, had been used as a launching pad for 300 Kassam rockets.