26 October 2023; MEMO: The head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, praised “the position of Russia and China in the Security Council and their thwarting of the biassed American resolution towards the occupation.”
In a press statement, Haniyeh expressed his “appreciation to all countries inside and outside the Security Council that have called for an end to the aggression against our Palestinian people in Gaza.”
He called on the international community “to force the occupation to respect human rights rules and to apply international law and international humanitarian law when dealing with our people in the Gaza Strip in particular and Palestine in general.”
Russia and China vetoed a US push for the United Nations Security Council to act on the Israeli bombing of Gaza by calling for pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid access and the protection of civilians, according to Reuters.
The initial US text shocked many diplomats with its bluntness in stating Israel has a right to defend itself and demanding Iran stop exporting arms to militant groups. It did not include a call for humanitarian pauses for aid access. But it largely toned down the final text that was put to the vote.
The Russian representative to the Security Council said that the US does not want Security Council resolutions to influence the Israeli operation, which is a green light from the Council for the Israeli attack to continue.
Ten members voted for the US text, while the United Arab Emirates voted no and Brazil and Mozambique abstained.
“The draft does not reflect the world’s strongest calls for a ceasefire, an end to the fighting, and it does not help resolve the issue,” China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun told the council after the vote. “At this moment, ceasefire is not just a diplomatic term. It means the life and death of many civilians.”
