MOSCOW (AFP) – The United States (US) veto on a United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution calling for a “humanitarian pause” in the Israel-Hamas war will have “monstruous consequences”, Russia said on Thursday.
Twelve out of 15 Council members voted in favour of the resolution put forward by Brazil, which also condemned the “heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas”.
The United States was the only vote against, but as one of the body’s five permanent members it counted as a veto.
“In the context of a standoff that is deepening and risks spilling over the borders of the Middle East region and taking on a confessional dimension, the consequences of such a step are monstruous,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Moscow said it was “disappointing” that a resolution that could have contributed to “stopping the escalation of tensions and reducing violence against civilians” was not adopted.
The US veto “clearly demonstrates Washington’s true aspiration for the region”, the statement said.
“Every day of delay means not only a rapid increase in the number of dead and wounded, but also the continuation of the suffering of civilians who have become prisoners of the blockaded enclave” of Gaza, it added.
The foreign ministry accused Washington of opposing “all humanitarian initiatives from the beginning” and said the Israel-Hamas conflict reflected “the failure of American policy” in the region, which “sparked the catastrophic current escalation”.
“The right to self-defence does not mean having a licence for mass and indiscriminate reprisals,” the ministry added, in a criticism aimed at Israel.
