China, Russia and France undermine the US's veto of a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza

The United Kingdom has abstained in the vote and has left Washington alone in the 'no'

MADRID, 9 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Many countries led by powers such as China, France, Russia and the Arab countries have reproached the United States for its veto of the latest proposed resolution in the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The United States has vetoed the proposal, which had obtained 13 votes in favor and one abstention, that of the United Kingdom, which further highlights Washington's distancing. China, France, Russia - permanent members -, Albania, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Switzerland, Japan, Malta and Mozambique have voted in favor.

It stands out that not even the United States' closest ally, the United Kingdom, has ultimately voted against the text. The British ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, has explained that her abstention is due to the fact that the text did not contain an explicit condemnation of Hamas.

"Israel must be able to deal with the threat posed by Hamas and it needs to do so in a way that complies with International Humanitarian Law so that this attack cannot be carried out again," he told the Security Council.

France has instead regretted the "lack of unity" of the Council. "Unfortunately, once again this Council suffers from a lack of unity. By refusing to commit to negotiations, the Gaza crisis worsens and the Council does not fulfill its mandate, contained in the Charter" of the United Nations, said the French ambassador, Nicolas de Riviere.

For China, "allowing the fighting to continue while claiming to care about the lives and safety of the people of Gaza is contradictory," in the words of its ambassador, Zhang Jun. expand is self-deception. Allowing the fight to continue while asking for the protection of women and children and Human Rights is hypocrisy. All this shows once again what the double standard is," he argued.

For the Russian ambassador, Dimitri Polianski, "our colleagues in the United States have literally signed before our eyes a death sentence for thousands, if not tens of thousands more civilians in Palestine and Israel."

Turkey has stressed for its part that Washington "is now alone on this issue" after Friday's vote. "The American political system is now useless on issues relating to Israel," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in statements to Turkish public television TRT.

The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoseín Amirabdolahian, has highlighted for his part that the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has proposed activating Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations "to stop the crimes in Gaza and maintain the structure of world peace," Amirabdolahian posted on Twitter.

Other countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Malaysia have also made explicit their rejection of the US veto. Organizations such as Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders and Human Rights Watch have also joined.