Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution demanding a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza makes it complicit in what he described as war crimes against Palestinians.
He also said he held the US responsible for the bloodshed of Palestinian children, women and the elderly in the Gaza Strip, a statement released by the presidency said.
We reported earlier that the US had vetoed a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza – despite the proposal being backed by almost all members of the Security Council.
Dozens of other nations had also expressed support for an urgent cessation of hostilities, leaving Washington diplomatically isolated on the international stage.
Out of the 15 members on the council, 13 voted in favour of the resolution. The US was the only country to block it, and the UK abstained.
Why did US veto ceasefire resolution?
We have been reporting today on the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution demanding a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
So what was the reason behind this veto?
Sky’s Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall says the US believes the best way to achieve peace and stability in the region is with the elimination of Hamas and therefore a ceasefire would prevent that.
But he goes on to say there are “clearly some gaps between what the US wants and what the Israelis are doing”.
“The Israelis want this war to continue for a few more months and the Americans have been very clear that they think that this intense period of fighting should be wrapped up by Christmas,” Bunkall says.
“The Americans have said they want to see much fewer civilian casualties in Gaza but they don’t believe the Israelis are managing to achieve that.
“It is not an alliance that is watertight but for now the Americans, at least in the UN Security Council chamber, do have Israel’s back.
“But they are looking increasingly isolated.”
Leave a Reply