Several members of the UN Security Council condemned on Sunday the surprise offensive by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Israel, even if the United States regretted the lack of unanimity during this emergency meeting behind closed doors.
Just before the session, the United States called on all Council members to strongly condemn “heinous terrorist acts” by Hamas “against the Israeli people and their government.”
“A large number of countries have condemned the Hamas attacks. But obviously, not all,” regretted Deputy American Ambassador Robert Woods to the press at the end of the meeting.
“You can certainly identify one of them without me saying anything,” he added, in a clear allusion to Russia whose relations with the West have deteriorated significantly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to diplomats, no state has put a proposal for a joint declaration on the table, while the Council is regularly divided on the Israeli-Palestinian issue and some members hope for a text going beyond a condemnation of Hamas only. .
“My message was in favor of an immediate end to the fighting, a ceasefire and meaningful negotiations,” Russian Ambassador Vassili Nebenzia said, referring to a situation that was partly the result of “unresolved issues.” “.
His Chinese counterpart Zhang Jun condemned “all attacks against civilians”, while insisting on the need for a return to a peace process to achieve a two-state solution.
“It is abnormal that the Security Council says nothing,” he said as he left the meeting.
Israel officially declared war on Hamas on Sunday after the unprecedented offensive launched the day before by the Palestinian Islamist movement from the Gaza Strip, the death toll of which rose to more than a thousand deaths in total.
Israel has “one and only one demand” for the UN Security Council, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said before the meeting: “Hamas’ war crimes must be unequivocally condemned, these unimaginable atrocities must be condemned “.
“Israel must receive unwavering support to defend itself,” he continued.
“Regretfully, for some media and political leaders, History only begins when Israelis are killed,” responded Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour, who represents the Palestinian Authority and not Hamas.
“We will never accept rhetoric that denigrates our humanity and denies our rights, rhetoric that ignores the occupation of our land and the oppression of our people,” he said, his voice tight.
“Now is not the time to allow Israel to persist in its terrible choices. The time has come to tell Israel to change course, and that there is a path to peace in which neither Palestinians nor Israelis are killed.”