ARAB AND WORLD

Fri 01 Mar 2024 5:03 pm - Jerusalem Time

Washington blocks a Security Council resolution condemning Israel for the flour massacre

On February 29, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council statement that would have condemned Israel for the mass killing of more than 100 Palestinian civilians awaiting the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza City.


"We don't have all the facts on the ground — that's the problem," US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood told reporters on Thursday.


He then claimed that there were “contradictory reports” about the recent massacre committed by the Israeli army, and stressed that Washington was focusing on finding “a language that everyone can agree on.”


The use of its veto on Thursday is the fifth time that Washington has blocked the issuance of a UN Security Council statement or ceasefire resolution that would hold Israel accountable for the atrocities it committed in Gaza.


According to Riyad Mansour, Palestine's ambassador to the United Nations, 14 of the 15 Council members supported the statement submitted by Algeria.


At least 112 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others were injured after Israeli forces opened heavy machine gun and artillery fire on thousands waiting for food on Rasheed Street in Gaza, in what marked the first food delivery to northern Gaza in several weeks.


According to Al Jazeera's correspondent from the scene of the incident: "After the shooting, Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the bodies of the dead and wounded."


“We came here to get some aid. I've been waiting since yesterday afternoon. At around 4:30 a.m., the trucks started arriving. The Israelis opened fire randomly at us as if it was a trap. As soon as we approached, a witness at the scene told Al Jazeera. From the aid trucks, Israeli tanks and warplanes started shooting at us.”


Another person in the area told Qatari media: “We were going to bring flour...then Israeli snipers opened fire on us.” “They shot me in my leg. I am unable to stand,” he added.


Tel Aviv changed its story several times on Thursday, initially claiming that the majority of the victims were killed in the stampede, then later saying that soldiers only opened fire after feeling “threatened.” Officials have yet to explain how crowds of undernourished and displaced civilians pose any threat to them.

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Washington blocks a Security Council resolution condemning Israel for the flour massacre