www.zerohedge.com by TYLER DURDEN
Perhaps entirely as expected (given it was the same pattern in past Israel-Gaza conflicts), the United States on Monday blocked an attempt of the UN Security Council to pass a joint statement calling for an immediate end to the Israeli-Palestinian violence.
And Israel promptly “thanked” the United States for blocking the statement urging peace…
My sincere thanks to the U.S. Administration and in particular to @SecDef. Lloyd Austin, with whom I spoke this week, for rightly preventing the unjust U.N. Security Council statement criticizing Israelâs actions in Gaza.
— ×× × ×× ×Ľ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) May 17, 2021
This marks the third time within a week that the US has thwarted UN efforts toward urging a ceasefire, which sent the security council into an emergency closed-door session planned for Tuesday.
Despite the Gaza death toll in Gaza from Israeli airstrikes surpassing 200 by the end of Monday, and with at least ten Israeli civilian deaths from Hamas rocket fire, one US diplomat said they “could not currently support an expression” by the Security Council, according to AFP.
At UN Security Council, US says working âtirelesslyâ to end Gaza fighting https://t.co/9D5omaRbJa
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) May 16, 2021
The AFP notes that “The text drafted by China, Tunisia and Norway was submitted late Sunday for approval Monday by the council’s 15 members” and that it has “held three emergency meetings on the escalating violence in the past week, the latest on Sunday, without reaching a common position – with Israel’s main ally the United States accused of obstructionism.”
On the effectiveness toward bringing the warring parties into a ceasefire agreement, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stressed: “I would really restate the need for a very strong and unified voice from the Security Council, which we think will carry weight“.
During a Monday phone call, President Joe Biden conveyed to PM Netanyahu for the first time since fighting began that he’s ready to “support” a ceasefire; however, the Israeli leader reportedly answered that he “wants to complete all the goals of the Gaza operation,” according to Axios correspondent Barak Ravid.
Biden to Netanyahu: âHereâs all the missiles Iâd like you to stop dropping.â
— francesca fiorentini (@franifio) May 17, 2021
This further comes after it was revealed early this week that Biden approved a $735 million dollar in weapons sales from the United States to Israel – which reportedly happened just before the outbreak of fighting.
