It also came as the White House said President Joe Biden would visit Israel on Wednesday.
United Nations:
The UN Security Council on Monday rejected a Russian resolution condemning spiraling violence in the Middle East, with delegates refusing to support a motion not to single out Hamas for its surprise attack on Israel that killed at least 1,400 people.
The council huddled as Israel prepared for an expected ground assault on the Gaza Strip, following air and artillery strikes that officials said killed at least 2,750 people.
It also came as the White House said President Joe Biden would visit Israel on Wednesday, in a visit intended to balance support for a key ally with calls for restraint in his operations in Gaza.
Only four countries voted with Russia on the proposed text. Four others – including the US – voted against, while six abstained.
A second text, proposed by Brazil, with unequivocal language condemning the Islamist group, appeared to have wider support and was expected to be put to a vote on Tuesday evening, diplomats said.
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that despite the failure, the resolution had spurred the council into action.
“It has contributed to initiating a substantive discussion in the Security Council on this subject. Without our encouragement, everything would probably have been limited to empty discussions,” he said.
Britain, which joined the US in rejecting the Russian proposal, criticized Moscow’s lack of consultation and accused Russia of not making a serious effort to reach consensus.
“We cannot support a resolution that fails to condemn Hamas’ terrorist attacks,” Barbara Woodward told the council.
Israel’s Gilad Erdan said the Security Council, which has not adopted a resolution on the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories since 2016, was at “one of the most crucial crossroads” since its creation in the aftermath of World War II.
“Will the council support the struggle for civilization? Or will it encourage the genocide of jihadists whose aim is to kill all infidels?” he said.
‘For an agency that deals with safety, this should not even be a question.
“The first step this council must take before any call for help, calm or restraint is to identify Hamas as the murderous terrorist organization that it is.”
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the council had a moral obligation to act to try to stop an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, which he said was claiming 12 lives every hour.
“Don’t send the message that Palestinian lives don’t matter,” he said.
‘Don’t you dare say that Israel is not responsible for the bombs it drops over their heads.
“What is happening in Gaza is not a military operation. It is a large-scale attack on our people. These are massacres against innocent civilians.”
Israel has cut off water and power supplies to the isolated Gaza Strip and warned more than a million people to leave the north of the densely populated enclave.
The UN Agency to Support Palestinian Refugees has warned that the Gaza Strip faces an “unprecedented human catastrophe” if water and other essential supplies are not restored.
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