By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - Russia’s ambassador to the UN on Monday criticized the US for standing in the way of a cease-fire in Gaza, as it signaled it will block another UN Security Council resolution presented by Algeria.
Speaking to reporters, Vasily Nebenzya said that “only one delegation” has blocked a possible cease-fire in Gaza for nearly five months.
Saying Russia proposed a cease-fire resolution on Oct. 16, he said so many lives could have been saved if a cease-fire had been passed.
His remarks came as Algeria is expected to present a resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” between Israel and Hamas, and demand an “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
“Should it come up for a vote as drafted, it will not be adopted,” said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Saturday, as the resolution “may run counter” to efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar for a hostage deal, she added.
“The United States will continue to engage in the diplomacy necessary to get a hostage deal over the finish line, and will be candid with Israeli and regional leaders regarding our expectations for the protection of more than one million civilians in Rafah,” she said.
- Navalny's death
Asked by a reporter why Russian authorities are not handing over the body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died at a remote Arctic penal colony on Friday, Nebenzya said the forensic medical investigation is not over yet.
On Friday, Russia’s penitentiary service said Navalny died after losing consciousness after a walk in the Arctic Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, the region where he was serving out his sentence.
Navalny was arrested in January 2021 after a hospital stay in Germany, where he was being treated for poisoning. Western countries and Navalny himself blamed Russia for the poisoning, a claim the Kremlin denies.
In August, he got a 19-year prison sentence on charges of extremism, and other crimes. He was already serving an 11-year sentence on fraud charges.