The Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour called it a “sad day” Friday after the US vetoed the Security Council’s draft resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Mansour said he believes one day “those who cannot see reality” will eventually react to “the massive pressure of humanity, from one corner of the globe to the other corner of the globe, with billions of people demanding ceasefire.”
“We are upset like our people, who are furious and upset with the UN system — with the United Nations, with the Security Council, with the General Assembly — and they are correctly upset and angry and frustrated because they see this massive Israeli war machine killing them in the thousands, and yet the Security Council has been paralyzed,” Mansour said.
Thirteen countries voted in favor of the Security Council draft resolution while Britain abstained.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh also condemned the US veto.
“The failure of the Security Council to stop the aggression is a disgrace and a new license for continued killing, destruction, and displacement,” Shtayyeh said in a statement. “[T]he use of the veto exposes the hypocrisy of claiming to care about the lives of civilians.”
Shtayyeh thanked countries that voted in favor of the resolution and urged them to continue their humanitarian aid efforts as well as attempts to stop Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The draft resolution was co-sponsored by 97 countries.
CNN’s Abeer Salman contributed reporting.
The post was updated with the statement from the Palestinian prime minister.
