US Blocking UN Gaza Measures Enables Israel to Continue 'Onslaught' - Palestine

The United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement to address the deadly clashes in Gaza which has enabled Israel’s defense forces to continue its onslaught, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN Riyadh Mansour told reporters.

کد خبر: ۷۸۷۷۰۹

تاریخ: ۱۸ فروردين ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۸:۳۸

"It's very unfortunate that a few minutes ago one country out of fifteen broke the silence this evening while the fourteen were ready to adopt this statement," Mansour said on Friday. "This is very irresponsible and it lacks sensitivity by the delegation of the United States of America."

He added that this action by the United States allows Israeli defense forces to continue with their "onslaught" against the Palestinian civilian population.

Meanwhile, IDF spokesman Ronen Manelis said Friday that the resistance offered by the Israel Defense Forces to Palestinians at the Gaza border last week discouraged many protesters.

Palestinians who want to return to their ancestral lands in Israel renewed their attempts this week to scale the fence on the edge of Hamas-controlled Gaza but were met with tear gas and live fireby Israeli troops. Palestinian health authorities said at least eight people were killed and hundreds injured.

"The resistance we offered last week showed Hamas our rules are and what we will not tolerate," Manelis said in a statement. "We did not suffer any losses from hostile terrorist actions, the border fence was not breached and the Israeli sovereignty was preserved. It is a great achievement."

An estimated 20,000 demonstrators rallied at the border this week, down from some 40,000 last week when 19 people were killed. Palestinians threw rocks and burned tyres to create a smokescreen in the hopes it would protect them from Israeli snipers.