China, Russia back Hamas at UN

Governments, including ours, that have rushed to restore funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East need to learn from the Biden administration’s more considered approach to the scandal afflicting the Hamas terrorist-infested agency. The contrast with Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s announcement on March 15 that, having concluded the UNRWA was “not a terrorist organisation”, the Albanese government would resume immediately paying taxpayers’ $6m a year to the agency is significant. It is indicative of how profoundly Canberra and Washington have diverged over Israel, Gaza and Hamas.

The Biden White House has put a one-year ban on funding the UNRWA. But it is ensuring there is no cut in aid for Gaza; the funding will be redirected to other agencies. The US move reflects concern about the extent to which UNRWA employees actively have been involved with Hamas – concern the US does not believe has been answered adequately. The White House was similarly adroit last week when it used a UN Security Council session to smoke out the shameful support Hamas’s barbaric terrorism enjoys from Russia and China, both Iranian allies. Retreating from its refusal since October 7 to support calls for a ceasefire, the US submitted its own ceasefire resolution, contingent on the release of all hostages held by Hamas. It was supported by 11 of 15 Security Council members. But its condemnation of Hamas and its hostage- taking was too much for Moscow and Beijing. They used their vetoes as permanent members to scupper the US ceasefire call, revealing appalling complicity with Iran in supporting Hamas.

The Biden administration should be careful about seeking “an immediate and sustained ceasefire”. Israel’s leaders, reflecting overwhelming public opinion, have made it clear they are determined to secure the return of the hostages. Dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is vital. But the reality, as contributing editor for military affairs David Kilcullen wrote on Saturday, is “the notion of a clean, surgical, stand-off campaign, using precision strikes and small-team raids to destroy Hamas without damaging Gaza or harming civilians – as attractive as it sounds in theory – is simply not practicable’’. The only way for Israel to avoid what is happening now would have been not to go in at all after October 7, leaving Hamas in control of Gaza. After 9/11, Washington rightly used every resource available against al-Qa’ida. Israel faces no less a threat. Joe Biden should understand Israel’s reluctance to submit to pie-in-the sky demands for a ceasefire while the demise of Hamas is unfinished business.