Hebrew media sources reported on Wednesday that the US administration is pressuring 9 Arab countries to vote in favor of a draft resolution condemning Hamas at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.
Haaretz newspaper said that Jason Greenblatt the US Special Representative for International Negotiations had sent requests on the matter to diplomats from Morocco Oman Bahrain Jordan Saudi Arabia Kuwait United Arab Emirates Egypt and Qatar.
Greenblatt in his letters said that the Palestinian Authority’s opposition to the US proposal is hypocritical “because it considers Hamas an enemy and imposes sanctions on it”.
A source in the US administration quoted Greenblatt as writing that the countries which oppose terrorism and want stability in the region have no reason to reject the US proposal.
The US-initiated draft resolution has been amended following negotiations with some European countries with the aim of increasing the number of supporters. Items related to the Palestinian national reconciliation and the Palestinian Authority’s takeover of the Gaza Strip were added.
The US administration believes that if the resolution passes it will be the first time that the United Nations General Assembly explicitly condemns Hamas the Israeli newspaper added.
