The Palestinian ambassador to the UN has criticized the Security Council for its inaction in the face of the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, expressing disappointment over the body’s inability to fulfill its mandate to protect peace and security.
Riyad Mansour said in a letter addressed to UN Security Council’s President Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett that as the council “wavers and praises words,” more Palestinians are being killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
He wrote that the death toll in Gaza “should have long ago compelled the Security Council to demand a ceasefire.”
“But the Council continues to betray its charter mandate and the expectations of nearly the entire international community demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire for months now,” he wrote, according to Al Jazeera.
The Palestinian envoy said only a ceasefire can “ensure implementation of the ICJ provisional measures … and resolutions … to protect the Palestinian civilian population.”
He was referring to an interim ruling by the International Court of Justice last month that the regime should avoid genocidal acts in Gaza as well as the UNSC resolution calling for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors through the Gaza Strip.
“We once again implore the Council, General Assembly, and all states and organizations to uphold their obligations, in accordance with international law,” he added.
The Council has issued only one resolution on the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of over 27,000 people, mostly women and children.
The resolution, numbered 2720, was adopted late last year, and called for the protection of civilians, and the delivery of aid to Gaza.
Two earlier resolutions had been vetoed by the US, which has a long history of blocking UN resolutions critical of Israel.
The two resolutions, presented by the United Arab Emirates and Brazil in October and December 2023, called for an immediate ceasefire.
The US was the only country that voted against the resolutions, while most of the other members voted in favor or abstained.
The US vetoes were widely criticized by the international community and also UN chief Antonio Guterres, who accused the US of preventing the Security Council from fulfilling its responsibilities and enabling Israel’s aggression on Gaza.
The US said it vetoed the resolutions because they did not condemn the October 7 Palestinian operation against Israel.
The United States has vetoed 45 anti-Israel resolutions in the UN Security Council since 1945.
