‘Every American veto’ on Gaza costs thousands of lives: Russia

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia has said that each US veto on Gaza in the UN Security Council costs thousands of lives in the enclave.

“Every American veto on Gaza is not just a voting statistic in the UN Security Council. We must not forget that it also had a specific terrible price -- the lives of thousands of civilians in Gaza,” Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said on Thursday in a Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

The current situation in the Middle East is escalating every day and drawing in new countries in the region, Nebenzya said, adding that humanitarian resolutions by the UN on Gaza cannot be implemented without a cease-fire.

"The Israeli military is attacking humanitarian convoys, blocking their access, and slowing down the passage of cargo. Western countries harshly criticize them for this only if Western citizens die as a result," he expressed.

Nebenzya argued that the international community has been unable to protect the Palestinians from "Israeli slaughter," while also failing to alleviate their "humanitarian suffering" due to the position of "one state blocking all our efforts."

"American colleagues did not hide the fact that they perceive the UN Security Council as a hindrance that should not 'get in the way' of their 'effective diplomacy on the ground,' but in fact to give its main Middle Eastern ally complete freedom of hands to 'clean up' the enclave," he further said.

"It took Washington six months to finally realize that it had lost almost all leverage over Israel and found itself in a situation where “the tail wags the dog” -- where Tel Aviv essentially dictates its terms, demanding unconditional support from the Americans for any of its reckless actions," he added.

Nebenzya also commented on an earlier speech by his Israeli counterpart Gilad Erdan, criticizing his "offensive remarks" against the UN, its staff, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"Today, he did not hesitate to call the Security Council the 'Terror Council,' only he apparently forgot that the State of Israel itself was created on the recommendation of this Council and by resolution of the General Assembly," he went on to say.

Russia calls for a vote for the resolution to accept Palestine as a full member of the UN, he said, adding that the formation of a collective diplomatic mechanism is needed to move towards the goal of establishing "an independent integral sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem, which will coexist in peace and security with Israel.​