By Michelle NicholsNEW YORK (Reuters) - Israel's ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday accused Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of committing war crimes, vowing that it was time to "obliterate" Hamas terror infrastructure while seeking to keep normalization talks with Saudi Arabia on track.
"These are war crimes, blatant documented war crimes," Israel's U.N.
"Now is the time to obliterate Hamas terror infrastructure, to completely erase it, so that such horrors are never committed again."
Erdan spoke ahead of a closed-door U.N. Security Council meeting later on Sunday, appealing for the international community to give Israel its full support and condemn the actions of Hamas.
The assault by Hamas coincides with U.S.-backed moves to push Saudi Arabia towards normalizing ties with Israel in return for a defence deal between Washington and Riyadh.
Persons:
Michelle Nichols, Gilad Erdan, Erdan, Susan Heavey, Lisa Shumaker, Diane Craft
Organizations:
YORK, United Nations, Hamas, Security, Israel
Locations:
Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Israel, Washington, Riyadh