New York (June 02, 2018): The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) failed Friday to adopt a US-drafted measure condemning Palestinian group Hamas for the recent violence in Gaza.
The United States was the only country that voted in favour of the draft resolution in the Security Council. Eleven countries abstained while Bolivia, Kuwait and Russia opposed it.
More than 120 Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded by Israeli forces during weeks-long peaceful protests in the besieged Gaza Strip near the fence with Israel. Among the victims have been medical professionals and journalists.
Ten countries, including Russia and France, voted in favour of the Kuwait-sponsored resolution on Friday.
Four others – Britain Poland, the Netherlands and Ethiopia – abstained, while the US, a major ally of Israel, was the only country to vote against it.
The resolution, which was revised three times and said to have been “watered down”, previously called for international protection for Palestinian people.
The final draft called for “the consideration of measures to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in the Gaza Strip”. Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations, said ahead of the vote.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley described the resolution as “grossly one-sided” as she pinned the blame on much of Palestinians’ suffering on the Hamas movement, which runs the Strip.
Related News:
