‘If you want a ceasefire, ask Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. This is his number’: Extraordinary moment Israeli official slams the UN as body votes for immediate ceasefire – as he warns the fighting will only end when the terrorists ‘put down their weapons’
Israel has expressed outrage at a UN vote for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with its ambassador warning that fighting will only end when Hamas terrorists “lay down their arms.”
Gilad Erdan gave an impassioned speech to the UN General Assembly shortly before the adoption of a landmark resolution calling for an immediate end to hostilities between Hamas and Israel.
“If you want a real ceasefire, this is the right address. Here is the phone number for the Hamas office in Gaza, you can all call,” he told delegates before reading out the number of Yahya Sinwar, the terrorist leader dubbed the “Bin Laden of Gaza.”
The furious official continued: “Tell Hamas to lay down their arms, surrender and return our hostages.” This will lead to a complete ceasefire that will last forever.”
Senior Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq responded by welcoming the vote and calling on the international community to pressure Israel to comply with the resolution. Talks between the two sides are ongoing, Qatar’s key negotiator said earlier this week.
Calls for a ceasefire from around the world have grown increasingly desperate as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises, putting it at more than 18,400, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel declared war on Hamas after about 1,200 Israelis were killed by terrorists during the October 7 riots and more than 200 were taken hostage.
So far, all attempts to achieve a permanent ceasefire have failed, and although the latest vote is politically significant because it reflects a global view of the war, the latest vote is not binding.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan showed what he said was the phone number of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar ahead of the non-binding ceasefire vote.
The General Assembly, which includes all 193 UN member countries, voted 153 in favor of the resolution.
Israeli Army December 12, 2023 shows soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip.
A total of ten countries, including the United States and Israel, voted against and 23 abstained.
A paralyzed U.N. Security Council failed to make the same call last week after the United States vetoed a similar declaration in the 15-member Security Council.
The General Assembly, which includes all 193 U.N. members, voted in favor of the resolution by 153 countries, surpassing the roughly 140 countries that regularly supported resolutions condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Ten countries, including the United States and Israel, voted against and 23 abstained. Pressure is mounting on the US as calls for a ceasefire grow and it continues to support Israel’s war with Hamas.
But cracks are starting to show between the allies, with US President Joe Biden warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that Israel risks losing global support for its war against Hamas amid “indiscriminate” bombing of the Gaza Strip.
In his strongest remarks since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the current conflict, Biden told donors that Netanyahu needed to “change” his position on a two-state solution to the Palestinians.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, said there was a “disagreement” with Biden over how post-conflict Gaza would be managed, reflecting a rare rift after weeks in which the US leader has strongly supported Israel.
Biden said at a campaign event in Washington that Israel was “supported by much of the world” after the Hamas attacks, which Israel said killed 1,200 people. Hundreds were also taken hostage.
“But they’re starting to lose that support because of the indiscriminate bombing that’s happening,” Biden said.
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour speaks at a press conference with representatives of other Arab countries after the vote
UN representative Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on the war between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli forces shell the Gaza Strip from the border area in southern Israel
Smoke rises over the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, December 12, 2023.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said on Tuesday that Israeli bombing has killed more than 18,400 people – mostly women and children – since October 7.
The US president also rejected arguments Netanyahu said he made that Allied forces “carpet bombed” Germany and used nuclear weapons against Japan in World War II.
Biden said he told Netanyahu that international institutions were created after the war “to make sure this doesn’t happen again” and repeated that the United States made “mistakes” after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Biden then said Netanyahu faces a “tough decision” regarding his far-right government.
“He’s a good friend, but I think he has to change, and with this government, this government in Israel is making it very difficult for him to move,” the US president said.
“They don’t want a two-state solution,” he said, calling it “the most conservative government in Israeli history.”
His comments reflect a growing divide over the aftermath of the war, with US calls for the Gaza Strip to be handed over to a strengthened Palestinian Authority met with a cool reception in Israel.
The Palestinian Authority currently controls the West Bank, while the Islamist Hamas controls the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu said after speaking with Biden that there were “differences” between the allies over “the day after Hamas.”
Palestinians search for survivors of Israeli bombing in the southern Gaza city of Rafah
A seriously injured child is being treated by medics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, after Israeli strikes
The Israeli prime minister said he hoped “we will reach an agreement here” but vowed not to “repeat the mistake of Oslo,” referring to the 1993 peace accords signed in the United States.
Washington has for weeks urged Israel to be more careful to avoid civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, saying too many Palestinians have been killed.
Biden issued a similar warning about global support during a White House ceremony on Monday marking the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
“We have to be careful. They should be careful. Public opinion around the world can change overnight, we cannot allow this,” he told the guests.