China expressed its regret that the United States obstructed the issuance of a UN Security Council statement on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, calling for more international efforts to stop the cycle of violence.
After Washington failed the council to issue a joint statement to stop the Israeli aggression, Norway, Tunisia and China called for an end to all acts of violence, incitement, destruction and evacuation in a joint tripartite statement.
"Unfortunately, just because of the obstruction of one country, the Security Council could not speak with a single voice," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi - whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council during a meeting of the latter via video conferencing.
The Security Council held an emergency meeting today, Sunday, at the level of foreign ministers via video link, in response to the invitation of Tunisia, China and Norway.
To discuss the escalation in Palestine and Israel.
Although the session was at the ministerial level, America and Israel had satisfied their representatives at the United Nations.
In addition to the 15 countries - members of the Security Council - representatives of Palestine, Israel and a number of countries in the region participated in the meeting, including Jordan and Egypt.
Today, the United States continued to refuse to issue any joint declaration.
Washington alone had rejected during the week two previous texts proposed by three council members, namely Norway, Tunisia and China.
Greenfield called on Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian factions to immediately stop the rocket attacks on Israel (French)
American reluctance
In the emergency meeting of the Council, the United States refrained from demanding Israel to stop its military aggression on the Gaza Strip, and in return it called on Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian factions to immediately stop the rocket attacks.
This came in a speech by the US representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield.
Greenfield said that her country calls on all parties to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law, noting that Washington is ready to support if the two sides seek a ceasefire.
She added that Washington urges all parties to protect medical and other humanitarian facilities, as well as journalists and media organizations, noting its concern about the protection of United Nations facilities, with civilians taking refuge in about 24 of them in Gaza.
She stated that her country has conducted and is in contact with Palestinian and Israeli leaders and with parties in the region to stop the conflict, and pointed out that Washington has made contacts that include Egyptian and Qatari officials in order to reach calm in the region.
Last week, Washington prevented the issuance of any statement from the Security Council regarding the situation in the Palestinian territories.
Under the pretext that its issuance will not contribute to improving the current situation.
Al-Maliki called on the international community to fulfill its duties in protecting the Palestinians and implementing international (European) decisions.
In his speech before the Council, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki condemned the aggression against his people and sanctities, and called on the international community to fulfill its duties in protecting the Palestinians and implementing international decisions related to the conflict in the Middle East.
Al-Maliki added - in his speech - "Some people do not want to use these words, war crimes and crimes against humanity, but they know it is the truth."
And he called for the imposition of sanctions and an embargo on the export of weapons to Israel, for its war crimes against the Palestinians.
Al-Maliki criticized statements attributed to US President Joe Biden, that Israel has the right to defend itself.
For his part, Gilad Ardan, Israel's representative at the United Nations, held Hamas responsible for igniting the conflict during the council meeting.
He said that the escalation "was completely deliberate by Hamas to achieve political gains," noting that his country tried to calm the tension in Jerusalem.
According to his saying.
Guterres warned of the escalation of the crisis in the region to the point that it cannot be contained (European)
Warning
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned - at the beginning of a Security Council meeting - of a regional crisis "that cannot be contained" in the context of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, while intensive Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed dozens, including children and women.
"The fighting must stop. It must stop immediately," Guterres said, describing the violence as "horrific".
He added that the escalation "could lead to a security and humanitarian crisis that cannot be contained and to the promotion of extremism, not only in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel, but in the entire region."
The Secretary-General indicated that the hostilities forced thousands of Palestinians to leave their homes in Gaza and seek shelter in schools, mosques and other places, with limited access to water, food, hygiene or health services.
He said hospitals are already overburdened by the Corona pandemic.
He stressed the need to protect humanitarian facilities and allow journalists to work without fear or harassment.
He considered the destruction of the media offices in Gaza a matter of great concern.
He added that the only way to solve it is to return to negotiations with the aim of establishing two states living side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem as the capital of the two states, based on relevant United Nations resolutions, international law and previous agreements.
For its part, the Norwegian Foreign Minister Eni Erikson condemned the Israeli attack, which targeted the building, which is the headquarters of many media outlets in Gaza, yesterday, saying that it is disturbing.
It also urged Israel to protect the right of "believers" to enjoy the holy sites in East Jerusalem.
For his part, Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman al-Jarandi said - in a speech before the Security Council today - that his country is committed to continuing constructive efforts until a comprehensive and just settlement is achieved, calling on the Council to work on an immediate ceasefire.
The Tunisian minister called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and urge Israel to end the occupation of Palestine.
Egypt confirmed - during the Security Council meeting - that it does not see a way to achieve security and peace in the region except through the Palestinian people gaining their legitimate rights and the independence of their state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
This came in a statement delivered by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry before the open session of the Security Council held today.
Outside the Security Council
Outside the Security Council, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas proposed, on Sunday, a three-stage plan aimed at calming the conflict in the Middle East.
Maas told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag in its issue today that it has become increasingly urgent now to adopt three steps to calm, the first of which is "stopping missile terrorism", in a second stage ending violence, and the third is to return to talks on concrete steps to build confidence among the Israelis. And the Palestinians.
The German minister added that the content of the talks should revolve around the two-state solution.
Maas claimed that Israel is using its right of self-defense to protect its people from Hamas's rocket terror.
And also in Europe, the European Union called for an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers next Tuesday to discuss violence in the Middle East.
"In light of the escalation that is taking place between Israel and Palestine and the unacceptable number of civilian casualties, I will hold an extraordinary video conference of European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday," European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said on Twitter on Sunday.
"We will coordinate and discuss the best way in which the European Union can contribute to putting an end to the current violence," he added.
Unprecedented dispute
Hours before the Security Council meeting, the International Committee of the Red Cross called on its members to "exercise maximum influence to stop hostilities between Gaza and Israel," considering it a conflict "unprecedented in its intensity."
"The intensity of this conflict is something we have not seen before, with the continuous air strikes on the densely populated Gaza Strip, and rockets hit large cities in Israel, killing children on both sides," said the director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Robert Mardini.