The Palestinian presidency strongly condemned the United States on Thursday for vetoing a UN Security Council draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh expressed “regret and astonishment” at Washington’s decision, noting that 14 of the 15 council members supported the resolution, which explicitly called for a ceasefire and an end to what he described as “the genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people,” News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Abu Rudeineh said the US move “encourages the Israeli occupation to continue its crimes against the Palestinian people and to defy all international legitimacy and international law,” urging Washington to review its stance to uphold international norms.
The resolution, proposed by Denmark on behalf of the 10 elected council members, voiced grave concern over Israel’s expanding military operations in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian crisis. It also rejected “any attempt at demographic or territorial change” in the besieged enclave.
Since Israel’s offensive began in October 2023, more than 65,100 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities. The assault has devastated the territory and pushed its population to the brink of famine.
Earlier this week, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
