European allies avoid display of rifts with US on Gaza: Russian envoy

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Nov 2023 08:41

The Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations says the chances of adopting a UN Security Council resolution on the Gaza war have been dimmed due to the US stance.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia's mission to the United Nations, during a news conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on April 25, 2022 (AP)

Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy slammed the Western hypocrisy on the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, and the United States' stance to prevent any resolutions to condemn the occupation entity or hinder its invasion in the Strip.

In a series of statements to Sputnik, the Russian envoy to the UN said that Washington's position is a clear indication of the biases inherent in the Western approach to international conflicts.

Furthermore, Polyanskiy highlighted how European allies have clear disagreements with the United States on the war on Gaza but prefer not to publicly display them.

"They [European allies] don't want to put on display all these divergences in public, but the divergences and even chasms are there. They are inconceivable, inconceivable. So I would say that this situation so far hasn't brought us somewhere where we will be ready to adopt a text without the United States blocking it once again," he said.

He further acknowledged that the chances of adopting a UN Security Council resolution on the Gaza war have been dimmed due to the US stance, leading to a perceived paralysis of the Security Council.

"It's not hopeless. But so far, it seems that the Security Council, unfortunately, is paralyzed because of this position of the US," Polyanskiy said.

Russia emphasizes the necessity of international cooperation for any steps in a solution to the Palestinian struggle and underscores the importance of a "two-state solution based on the borders of 1967," as per the Russian envoy.

"And we all know that this is the only way to avoid problems that we are having right now," Polyanskiy added.

As of now, the UN Security Council has not passed any resolution on the war on Gaza, with the only response being a non-binding Jordanian resolution from the General Assembly calling for a humanitarian truce and unimpeded aid flow.

In the same context, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said Russia views the Israeli strikes on civilian targets in the Gaza Strip as shocking violations of international law.

"We are shocked and deeply outraged that the targets of the strikes are civilian objects," Nebenzia said during a UN Security Council meeting last Friday. "We emphasize that the deliberate strikes against civilian objects represent an egregious violation of international humanitarian law."

Nebezia further added that there are no safe zones left in Gaza amid relentless Israeli strikes.

"The mosques [that came under attack a while ago] are located in the south of the Gaza Strip, which confirms that there are simply no safe zones for civilians in the enclave anymore," Nebenzia affirmed.

Blaming the US policy on Gaza for the ongoing escalation and its blocking of peace initiatives, Nebenzia said, "Washington’s blocking of peace initiatives for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at this point and its one-sided policy of the past few years, aimed at preserving the status quo (which is what they [the Americans] said), as well as it’s so-called quiet diplomacy, in fact were nothing but an unwillingness to implement what countries and nations had agreed on."

"The lack of any progress in the negotiation process was sure to lead to an escalation," he added, stressing that "this in turn may trigger an expansion of the conflict and fuel other potential and simmering conflicts in the region."

It is worth noting that Russia's push for a ceasefire in Gaza has been met by US vetos and condemnations, as the US continues to plan and facilitate "Israel's" aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has lately reported an increase in the number of martyrs due to the ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip to over 11,000, including at least 4,609 children.