Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon. Photo: UN / Manuel Elias.

Israel’s UN envoy has hailed the General Assembly’s passage on Tuesday of an update of its Global Counter Terrorism Strategy that features a condemnation of the use of civilians as human shields by terror groups.

In a statement, Ambassador Danny Danon credited the Israeli UN Mission for the inclusion of the “unprecedented” paragraph on human shields.

“Today’s resolution is another important step in our efforts as we change the rules of the game at the UN,” Danon said. “Less than two weeks ago, a plurality of members in the General Assembly voted to denounce Hamas, and now today’s resolution explicitly condemned terrorists for the despicable double war crime of hiding behind women and children while attacking civilians.”

“There is much work to be done,” Danon continued, “but this milestone accomplishment brings us closer to the day when the UN will focus on truly bringing security and stability to the world.”

The Global Counter Terrorism Strategy was first adopted in 2006 and is reviewed every two years.

The update approved on Tuesday decries the use of “schools and hospitals, for military purposes such as launching attacks and storing weapons,” as well as the use of “civilians to shield military objectives from attacks.”