Israeli-Palestinian crisis at the UN Security Council
US calls to condemn Hamas at yesterday’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting reportedly went unanswered.
The UN Security Council held a meeting yesterday on the attacks launched by the Hamas Movement on Saturday, October 7. After the closed-door meeting, the representatives made statements to journalists.
US Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Robert Wood noted that the Hamas attacks were condemned by many members at the meeting, but not all Council members supported this condemnation. Wood stated that the United States’ goal in the meeting was to condemn Hamas and emphasized that Hamas should “immediately stop terrorist attacks against the Israeli people.”
Asked whether a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine is important, Wood said: “There will be time for that. “Right now we have to deal with hostage taking and Hamas attacks,” he said.
RUSSIA AND CHINA CONDEMN ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIANS
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, claimed that the United States implied that Russia did not condemn the attacks during the meeting, saying: “This is not true. “We condemn all attacks against civilians,” he said. Emphasizing that no country offered a statement on the Council’s idea, Nebenzia stated that Russia clearly gave the message at the meeting that “it is important to stop hostilities immediately, ensure a ceasefire and hold meaningful negotiations.”
While China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Zhang Jung, did not directly condemn Hamas, he stated that Beijing condemned all attacks against civilians.
Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, accused Hamas of “committing war crimes” in his statement to journalists before the meeting.
Palestine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, stated that Israel’s blockade and constant attacks on Gaza have failed to achieve their goal of destroying Hamas’s military capacity, saying: “Now is the time to stop the violence and the bloodshed. “Now is the time to end the blockade and open a political horizon,” he said. (AA)