Failure of UN vote a 'slap' to Trump administration: Hamas

A US bid at the United Nations to condemn the Palestinian Hamas movement for firing rockets at Israel failed to secure enough votes for adoption on Thursday, despite European backing.

A US-drafted resolution championed by US Ambassador Nikki Haley won 87 votes in the General Assembly, falling short of the two-thirds majority required for adoption. Fifty-seven countries opposed the measure and 33 abstained.

Hamas, which runs the blockaded Gaza strip, said the results were "a slap" to Donald Trump's adminstration.

"The failure of the American venture at the United Nations represents a slap to the US administration and confirmation of the legitimacy of the resistance," spokesman Sami Abu Zahri wrote on Twitter, using a phrase commonly used to refer to armed groups that oppose Israel.

The European Union, like the United States, considers Hamas a terror group, but the 28-nation bloc is divided over how to support peace efforts.

Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly are non-binding, but they carry political weight and are seen as a barometer of world opinion.

The United States put forward the resolution as it prepares to unveil new peace proposals that the Palestinians have already rejected.

The Palestinians have severed ties with the Trump administration after the decision a year ago to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and declare the city Israel's capital.

The Palestinians see the city as the capital of their future state. International consensus has been that Jerusalem's status must be negotiated between the two sides.

The US administration has also cut more than $500 million in Palestinian aid.

Haley, who will step down as UN ambassador at the end of the year, has repeatedly accused the United Nations of having an anti-Israel bias and strongly supports Israel in its latest confrontation with Hamas in Gaza.

Throughout her post, Haley was routinely lambasted for her stance on human rights and has consistently voted against UN measures critical of Israel.

Haley rattled the United Nations when she arrived in January 2017 vowing that the United States will be "taking names" of countries that oppose President Donald Trump's foreign policy.

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