U.S. Blocks UN Security Council Statement on Gaza Border Clashes
The statement called for an independent probe into deadly clashes at the Gaza border. ‘I’m shocked to hear such hypocrisy,’ says Israeli ambassador to UN
The United States blocked a draft statement in the UN Security Council Saturday that called for an investigation into clashes on Israel’s border with Gaza that left 15 Palestinians dead, diplomats told AFP.
The statement proposed by Kuwait, the representative of Arab countries on the council, demanded an “independent and transparent investigation” into Friday’s violence with respect to international law.
The statement also expressed “grave concern at the situation at the border,” affirmed “the right to peaceful protest” and “called upon all sides to exercise restraint and prevent a further escalation.”
The U.S. raised objections to the council’s adoption of the statement Saturday after it was circulated on Friday, said one diplomat to AFP.
