A UN resolution that Hamas can love (updated)

The UN passed a cease-fire resolution that Hamas can wholeheartedly support, according to its own twisted logic. Itis a shame that the US couldn't see through the diplo-speak to understand this enough to block it.

Let's look at how Hamas will interpret UN Security Council Resolution 1860:

1. The Security Council stresses the urgency of and calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Hamas: Which will indicate that we drove the Zionists out of Gaza.

2. The Security Council calls for the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment.

3. The Security Council welcomes the initiatives aimed at creating and opening humanitarian corridors and other mechanisms for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid.

4. The Security Council calls on member states to support international efforts to alleviate the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza, including through urgently needed additional contributions to UNWRA and through the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.

Hamas: Perfect. We have never bothered to set up any infrastructure for humanitarian aid since we took control of Gaza, leaving all normal functions of government to NGOs and, when not a danger, Fatah members who continue to get paid by the PA. This way we can continue to work on our primary mission as the leaders of Gaza - building a terror infrastructure.

5. The Security Council condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorist.

Hamas: We agree. The Zionist entity is purely terrorist, targeting our civilians. We are against attacking civilians and only shoot rockets at military targets.

6. The Security Council calls upon member states to intensify efforts to provide arrangements and guarantees in Gaza in order to sustain a durable ceasefire and calm, including to prevent illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition and to ensure the sustained reopening of crossing points on the basis of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access between the Palestinian Authority; and in this regard, welcomes the Egyptian initative, and other regional and international efforts that are underway.

Hamas: We are not a member state so this doesn't apply to us. The member states have already tried to stop smuggling and failed, so we are fine with that part of the paragraph.

As far as the Egyptian border is concerned, we call on Egypt to work with us directly to open Rafah fully and bypass international and Israeli involvement, which is consistent with the EUBAM agreement and will give us international recognition as the legitimate rulers of Gaza.

7. The Security Council encourages tangible steps towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation including in support of mediation efforts of Egypt and the League of Arab States as expressed in the 26 November 2008 resolution, and consistent with Security Council Resolution 1850 (2008) and other relevant resolutions.

Hamas: We agree that the Palestinian people should be united under their democratically elected leaders, Hamas.

8. The Security Council calls for renewed and urgent efforts by the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders, as envisaged in Security Council Resolution 1850 (2008), and recalls also the important of the Arab Peace Initiative.

Hamas: This is so watered down as to be meaningless, so, sure, why not, as long as the international community considers tactical truces to be "peace."

9. The Security Council welcomes the Quartet's consideration, in consultation with the parties, of an international meeting in Moscow in 2009.

Hamas: Keep on talking while we keep on firing in legitimate self-defense at Israeli schools that we call "military bases."

While at first glance it appears to be "balanced," in fact only Israel has any obligations under this resolution - to give Hamas a symbolic victory, which is the only kind that Arabs recognize. Hamas is not mentioned once. Hamas has no obligations under this resolution. The word "rockets" is not mentioned specifically, and Gilad Shalit is not mentioned at all.

Under these terms, Hamas gains immense prestige and bragging rights, Gazans continue to live in misery, and Israeli residents will still be subject to regular rocket fire that the UN is powerless to stop.

UPDATE: Even so, Hamas rejected the resolution:

Hamas rejected the resolution, with spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri telling Arabic news channel al-Jazeera from Yemen, 'We are not concerned by the decision because Hamas was not consulted and it did not take into consideration the interest and demands of our people in Gaza.'

The Islamic Jihad also said in a statement the council's decision was not acceptable.

A Hamas spokesman from Damascus put it this way:

Abu Marzouq: We have three conditions for any peace initiative coming from any state.

First, the aggression of the Israelis should stop. All of the gates should be opened, including the gate of Rafah between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Finally, Israel has to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

We are not saying we will stop firing rockets from the Gaza Strip to Israel - we are only talking about stopping the aggression from the Israelis against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.

When others talk about a ceasefire, they are saying all military operations should stop.

But we are sending a message [by firing rockets]: "We will not surrender. We have to fight the Israelis and we will win this battle."

We know we are going to lose a lot of people from our side, but we are going to win, inshallah.