China this Saturday expressed its “deep disappointment” over the United States’ veto of a UN Security Council resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, presented by the United Arab Emirates and sponsored by 97 member countries.
The proposal “reflects the universal call of the international community and represents the right direction to restore peace,” said Chinese ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, quoted by state television CGTN.
“China fully supports this initiative and joined the pressure to draft this draft resolution,” added Zhang, who accused Washington of employing “double standards” when talking about the protection of women, children and human rights, when time that “consents” to the continuation of the conflict.
Zhang also called on Israel to end the “collective punishment of the people of Gaza.”
It is the second time since the start of the war in Gaza that the US has vetoed a resolution along the same lines – it did so on October 18 -, thus aligning itself with Israel, which maintains that a ceasefire of this type would help Hamas to rearm. and hold the 138 hostages captive in the Gaza Strip.
On October 18, the United States also single-handedly vetoed a similar ceasefire resolution introduced by Brazil, arguing that it did not mention Israel’s right to self-defense.
This latest vote was carried out at the request of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, who this week resorted to an exceptional mechanism in the organization’s founding charter, article 99, which grants him powers to request the intervention of the Security Council. in cases of serious threats to peace and security in the world.
Source: TSF
