Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday condemned the United States for blocking a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, describing the move as immoral and accused the US of being an accomplice with Israel in its genocidal war.
Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, reported, “President Abbas condemned the US use of the veto in the Security Council, characterising the United States’ stance as aggressive and immoral, a blatant violation of all human values and principles.”
He held the US “accountable for the bloodshed of Palestinian children, women, and the elderly in Gaza at the hands of the occupying forces, attributing this to the US’s disgraceful support for the occupation and the brutal Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.”
Speaking at the UN Security Council after the U.S. blocked the resolution, Palestinian representative to the UN Riyad Mansour called the move “beyond regrettable.”
The Security Council has failed in its duty in addressing “a grave crisis,” he said. “Millions of Palestinian lives hang in the balance. Every single one of them is sacred, worth saving.”
Several countries and international human rights organisations have also criticised the US for blocking a UN Security Council resolution.
In a post on X, Amnesty International’s secretary general Agnes Callamard said the “US veto of ceasefire resolution displays callous disregard for civilian suffering in face of staggering death toll. It is morally indefensible, a dereliction of the US duty to prevent atrocity crimes and a complete lack of global leadership. Just appalling.”
Human Rights Watch warned of potential “complicity in war crimes” by the US, supporting Israel during what they termed as “atrocities” against the Palestinian population. Medecins Sans Frontiers accused the Security Council of being complicit in the ongoing slaughter due to its inaction.
The Doctors Without Boarders (MSF) said, “We are devastated by the UN Security Council’s failure to adopt a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza—blocked by a solitary veto from the United States.”
“By vetoing this resolution, the US stands alone in casting its vote against humanity,” the organisation added.
UN Secretary-General Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter and remains determined to push for a humanitarian ceasefire. He cited the escalating impact on the entire region.
International support for the resolution was voiced by French Ambassador Nicolas De Rivière, Japan, and Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky.
As the US blocked UN resolution calling for ceasefire, Israel intensified its relentless bombardments in Gaza.
Israel has killed at least 17,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza and wounded more than 48,800 since 7 October.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Saturday that hundreds have been killed and thousands wounded in Israeli attacks during the day.
It said, ‘Over the past few hours, 210 martyrs [deaths] and 2,300 injuries have been admitted to hospitals with a significant number of victims still trapped under rubble and in the streets.’
The ministry added that Israeli forces on Saturday “committed 20 appalling massacres, wiping out entire families”
Israeli forces, who are also carrying out raids in the occupied West Bank, shot and killed a 17-year old Palestinian in the town of Azzun. Overnight raids were reported in Qalqilya, Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, and Bethlehem.
In the West Bank, Israel has killed 266 Palestinians and arrested more than 3,640 people since 7 October.
Palestinians in the West Bank have also become targets of increasing violent attacks by Israeli settlers.