A report presented to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday sharply criticized the Hamas terror organization – not for its recent rocket attacks on Israel, but for extra-judicial killings of Gaza Arabs.
Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, reported to the Security Council on Wednesday that Hamas had scheduled a number of executions, including for relatively minor crimes Mladenov said were clearly not deserving of such extreme punishment.
Calling it a “most worrying development,” Mladenov said the executions were a violation of international law.
“International law limits the application of the death penalty to the ‘most serious crimes’ and pursuant to a trial and appeals process that scrupulously follow fair trial standards. I have serious doubts as to whether capital trials in Gaza meet these standards,” said Mladenov.
The UN envoy would not, however, call out the Hamas terror group over its recent rocket attacks on Israel, instead issuing a general call for both sides to avoid escalations in violence.
“These incidents in recent weeks underscore the fragility of the security dynamics on the ground, particularly the… ceasefire in Gaza, which needs to be vigorously upheld by all sides if we are to avoid slipping into another devastating conflict,” he said.
Mladenov noted the April 18th bus bombing by a “Hamas-affiliated Palestinian teenager”, calling the act “deplorable”. He also recognized the fact that “some Palestinian factions chose… to praise” the attack.
The envoy rapped Israel, however, for what he called the “questionable” killing of two terrorists in April. The two were shot and killed by Israeli security guards acting in self-defense after the pair approached the guards brandishing knives.
Mladenov said the two were killed under “questionable circumstances”, claiming that Arab witnesses had denied the two were attempting to stab the guards. He encouraged Israeli authorities to scrutinize the incident.