WJC President Lauder: 'UN resolution on human shields will help bring security and stability to the Middle East'

NEW YORK – World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder praised Tuesday's United Nations vote condemning the use of human shields as an "important" step that "will help bring security and stability" to the Middle East.
 
“We welcome the UN General Assembly's condemnation of the cynical use of human shields by terrorist groups like Hamas," said Lauder. “This is an important step forward in the global war on terror and a critical moral stance that will help bring security and stability to the Middle East and the wider world."

The UN General Assembly Tuesday voted to condemn use of civilians as human shields by terrorist organizations. The resolution is specifically aimed at Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that runs the Gaza Strip and which has used human shields in conflicts with Israel as a propaganda tactic. Hamas terrorists have hid behind women and children in hospitals and schools while launching missile attacks on Israel. The condemnation of human shields is part of the UN's update of its counter-terrorism strategy.

The UN resolution explicitly condemned terrorist groups for the double war crime of hiding behind women and children while attacking civilians. The resolution 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.”

"Every terror group that cowardly hides behind women and children while using hospitals and schools as bases to attack civilians should be held accountable and punished," Lauder added.

The UN resolution is an update of its Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, which was first adopted in 2006 and gets reviewed every two years. For the full text of the resolution, please see the attached document.