Speaking before the vote, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, clarified, “What would your countries do if you were in Israel’s shoes? Call for a ceasefire? What would Moscow do? Beijing? Istanbul? How would you respond? Everyone here knows exactly.”
The Ambassador presented a poster with the phone number for the Hamas office in Gaza and said, “…I have an idea: if you want a real ceasefire, here is the right address. This is the phone number of Hamas’ office in Gaza. You can all call +970-599-373765 and ask for Yahya Sinwar. Tell Hamas to put down their arms, turn themselves in, and return our hostages. This will bring a complete ceasefire that will last forever! So, why are you not doing this? Why are you not holding Hamas accountable?”
Ambassador Erdan also said, “No piece of paper – especially one that is adopted by a biased politicized majority – will prevent Israel from defending itself against those that seek our destruction. Israel is fighting a war for her future! There is not a single Member State here, not a single Member State here, that would act differently in a similar situation. A ceasefire only serves to prolong Hamas’ reign of terror so I urge all Member States to vote against this resolution.”