US vetoes Gaza ceasefire: 'Are Palestinians' lives not worth saving or does Israel have licence to kill?' - Palestinian UN envoy
"What the hell does Israel need to do more for this council to act under Chapter VII of the UN Charter? Will this council be the last place on earth that cannot recognise the threat to peace when they see it, when it is so glaring, so undeniable?."
SHAH ALAM – Palestinian envoy to the United Nations (UN) Majed Bamya has criticised the United State's veto of a resolution at the UN Security Council demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues.
During the UN Security Council meeting, Bamya questioned tha council’s ability to uphold international law, slamming it for tolerating Israel's actions and neglecting Palestinian lives.
"Is there a UN Charter for Israel that is different from the Charter we all have? Tell us. Is there an international law for them (Israel) and an international law for us (Palestine)? Do they have the right to kill and the only right that we have is to die?
"What the hell does Israel need to do more for this council to act under Chapter VII (of the UN Charter)? What more can they do for this council to act under Chapter VII?
"Or will this council be the last place on earth that cannot recognise the threat to peace when they see it, when it is so glaring, so undeniable?," he said.
Bamya's remarks highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, with millions displaced and cut off from basic necessities like food, water and medical aid.
He added that the world was witnessing an attempt to annihilate and destroy a nation, yet the tools designed to address such crises were not being used.
He called the UN Security Council's action in adopting resolutions and then witnessing their blatant violation as "self-inflicted powerlessness," which has to stop.
"You are winessing the attempt to annihilate a nation, destroy a nation and it is not even hidden. It is in plain sight and yet the very tools designed to respond to these situatioans are not being used.
"Are Palestinians' lives not worth saving or does Israel have a licence to kill?
"Can the council adopt resolutions and then witness their blatant breach? This self-inflicted powerlessnes has to stop," he said.
On Wednesday, the US vetoed a resolution at UN Security Council that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The 15-member council voted 14-1 in favour of the resolution and the US used its veto as a permanent council member to block it.
It was reported that to date, nearly 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which also plunged the coastal territory into a humanitarian crisis.
