Several UN Security Council members denounce US veto of Gaza cease-fire resolution

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Several members of UN Security Council on Wednesday denounced a fourth US veto on a proposed cease-fire resolution in the Gaza Strip.

China's envoy Fu Cong, expressed disappointment with the outcome of the vote and accused the US for hindering hopes of Palestinians "for survival, pushing them further into darkness and desperation" via the use of the veto.

Saying that member states' actions would not "escape the harsh judgment of history," Fu asked: "Does Palestinian lives mean nothing?"

"How many more people have to die before they (US) wake up from their pretend slumber?" he asked rhetorically.

Fu argued that repeated vetoes by the US "has reduced the authority of the Security Council and international law to an all time low."

"We call on the US to take its responsibilities as a permanent member of the Council seriously. The US should stop being passive and evasive," he said.

Algeria's envoy Amar Bendjama, said, "Today's message is clear to the Israeli occupying power; 'You may continue your genocide, you may continue your collective punishment of the Palestinian people with complete impunity.'"

He said the US veto sent another "clear" message to the Palestinian people, before adding that "while the overwhelming majority of the world stands in solidarity with your plight, others remain indifferent to your suffering."

The French envoy, Nicolas de Riviere, expressed "deep regret" about the veto, and noted that the situation in Gaza is worsening every day.

"International humanitarian law is being trampled underfoot," he said, indicating the only response would have been a cease-fire.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia argued it is no shock that the US vetoed the resolution.

"For months, the US has obstructed and obfuscated, standing in the way of the Council action to address the catastrophic situation in Gaza and playing on one side of the conflict to advance its own political objectives at the expense of Palestinian lives," he said.

The veto as "unconscionable," he said. "We do not need to be lectured by the United States on hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is what they exhibit every day in different conflicts."

Addressing US deputy envoy Robert Wood, Nebenzia said: "You today have definitively shown that you are fully responsible for the death of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, for the prohibitions of refugees, suffering of hostages and the illegally detained Palestinians."

UK envoy Barbara Woodward, who is also the Security Council chair for November, expressed regret about the veto. "International humanitarian law must be respected by all sides," she said.

Guyana's envoy Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, voiced regret and noted that the "annihilation of the Palestinian people is a major stain on our collective human conscience."

Rodrigues-Birkett said the Council's chance to remove that stain was "hamstrung by a veto."

"The continuation of sheer misery cannot and must not be the fate of Palestinians," she said, urging an end to the conflict.

Rodrigues-Birkett told reporters after the session that the elected 10 members "demonstrated great flexibility to reach consensus in the Council."

"We are therefore deeply disappointed that the text was not adopted," she said, but added that "our collective efforts to end the hostilities will not stop."