Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan addresses the UN Security Council at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations accused the UN Security Council (UNSC) of “whitewashing” the crimes of terrorists in a speech to the body on Friday.

After the US introduced a resolution to the UNSC calling for a temporary ceasefire to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan addressed the international body.

The resolution, which called for a six-week break in fighting, was vetoed by China and Russia because the ceasefire would only be temporary. The measure included a call for the release of the hostages still being held by Hamas, and it did not condemn plans for Israel to operate in Rafah — the Palestinian terrorist group’s last stronghold in Gaza.

In response, Erdan said, “The American resolution – should it have passed – would have marked a moment of morality for the UN, a place where good is evil, and justice is injustice. It would have been the very first time that this council — or any UN body — condemned Hamas and their brutal massacre.”

“Yet sadly,” he continued, “for purely political reasons, this resolution did not pass, and terrorists can continue benefiting from this council whitewashing their crimes.”

Erdan took aim at the international community for repeating Hamas-supplied casualty numbers uncritically. “Numbers supplied by the terrorists are thrown around and quoted as if they are word of God. Yet in essence, these numbers are merely the lies of Hamas that the UN is so quick to parrot,” he said.

Analysis of Hamas’ numbers suggests they systematically overcount civilian casualties.

In response to the veto, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “For all the fiery rhetoric, we all know that Russia and China are not doing anything diplomatically to advance a lasting peace or to meaningfully contribute to the humanitarian response effort.”

This is the latest in a long line of Security Council resolutions about the Israel-Hamas war where the US does not see eye to eye with China and Russia.

Within 10 days of the war starting, the US vetoed a China-backed resolution that called for humanitarian pauses to the fighting because it did not mention Israel’s right to self-defense. Then, about a month later, the US abstained from a resolution that called for a ceasefire to allow for Israeli hostages to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. And, in early December, the US vetoed another China-backed resolution that called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza because a ceasefire would allow Hamas to stay in power and, thus, do nothing to prevent future war.

Erdan argued too much of the international community does not understand the truth about the war. “For Israel, every civilian death is a tragedy!” he said. “For Hamas, civilian deaths are a strategy. And sadly, you are playing into Hamas’ strategy exactly as they predicted. Condemn the tunnels under schools! Condemn the exploitation of hospitals for terror! Hold Hamas accountable!”

Since Hamas launched the war with its Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, Israeli officials have lambasted UN leadership for what they described as emboldening Hamas and maintaining a bias against the Jewish state.