UN Secretary-General “Shocked” that Hamas Terrorists Applaud Terror Attack in Tel Aviv

The international community once again revealed its hypocrisy in the aftermath of the latest terrorist attacks in Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market, leaving four dead and more than a dozen injured. Most reports indicate that these jihadist terrorists disguised themselves as Orthodox Jews before opening fire on Israeli civilians.

Reports have revealed that the two terrorists have family ties to Hamas. Unsurprisingly, Hamas praised the attacks as “heroic” and “a message from children of the resistance to leaders of the occupation.” The Hamas leader then stated that this attack would only be “the first surprise in store for the Zionist enemy during Ramadan,” the Islamic holy month during which there is often a rise in terrorist attacks carried out against Israel.

The radical Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said the attacks were a “natural response” to the “violations” of an “Israeli occupation.”

How did U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon respond to this? Certainly, since he often condemns Israel for “excessive force” on the world’s stage for defending itself against terrorist attacks, you would think he would condemn Hamas since its very charter calls for the absolute destruction of Israel and Jewish people around the world, right?

Wrong.

Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that “there is no justification for terrorism nor for the glorification of those who commit such heinous acts.” He went on to state that he is “shocked that the leaders of Hamas have chosen to welcome this attack and some have chosen to celebrate it,” calling upon “the Palestinian leadership to live up to their responsibility to stand firmly against violence and the incitement that fuels it.”

“Shocked?”  The Secretary-General of the U.N. is “shocked” that a terrorist group whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel and which has a long history of jihadist violence against Israel would applaud jihadist terror attacks on Israeli civilians.  It’s utterly absurd.  It’s infuriating.

Could he be any more naïve or ignorant? The Palestinian Authority itself issued a carefully worded statement rejecting any operations that target civilians without even mentioning the Tel Aviv terrorist attack.  There were fireworks and celebrations in Hebron, the region the terrorist attackers are reportedly from.

But this can’t be surprising when international leaders like Ban Ki-moon show such willful ignorance, even going so far as to say, “It is human nature to react to occupation.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rightfully called him out for seemingly defending a recent string of stabbing and shooting attacks carried out against innocent Israeli civilians by Palestinian terrorists.

Enough is enough. This double standard cannot and must not go on any further.

This is why I spoke at the United Nations last week against the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement whose goal is to delegitimize and destroy the State of Israel.  It’s the same goal as the terrorists.  Both must be condemned on the world stage.

This is why we have mobilized our offices in Jerusalem, on Capitol Hill, and around the world to send a legal letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon informing him of Hamas’ charter and history of terrorism, urging him that the only proper course of action he can and should take is to strongly condemn these terrorist attacks, strongly condemn Hamas, and stand with Israel.

UPDATE 6.10.2016: We have just sent a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General outlining in detail Hamas’ long history of terrorist attacks on innocent Israeli civilians. Our letter states:

Your tepid response raises serious questions about the United Nations’ willingness to address and condemn Hamas for its ongoing blatant violations of international law. . . . Hamas is a brutal, unrepentant, terrorist organisation that seeks nothing less than the total destruction of the State of Israel.

It is critical for persons like yourself to recognise what Hamas stands for. You cannot claim the moral high ground while simultaneously tolerating immoral behavior. . . .

We urge you to recognise Hamas for what it is—a vicious terrorist organization—and to clearly and publicly condemn its continuing violations of international law and every shred of decency.

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