ISTANBUL
China has blasted the "abuse" of veto power by the US at the UN Security Council, blocking attempts to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
“If it were not for the United States' repeated abuse of the veto, the (UN) Security Council's response to the Gaza crisis would not have been so inadequate,” Ambassador Fu Cong, China’s top diplomat at the UN, told the ongoing 80th session of General Assembly on Wednesday.
Alongside China, the US is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council which have veto power to block decisions by the top executive body of the UN.
“If it were not for the United States' shielding of Israel, Council resolutions and international law would not have been so flagrantly violated.”
Referring to the Security Council’s Sept. 18 draft resolution on Gaza, which was vetoed by the US, Fu said: “The international community has long issued an overwhelming call for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities.”
“Time and again, the Security Council has sought to take actions, only to be forcefully blocked by the United States again and again ... China expresses its deep disappointment and regret over this,” said Fu, according to a transcript of his address.
Washington has repeatedly provided diplomatic cover to Israel since Oct. 7, 2023 when the latter launched its war on Gaza, and has since killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to a famine. Efforts for a ceasefire and permanent peace are underway, and a 20-point plan was unveiled by US President Donald Trump earlier this week.
“Nearly two years into the conflict in Gaza, the fighting has resulted in appalling civilian casualties and a humanitarian catastrophe, undermining the bottom line of human conscience and international rule of law,” said Fu.
“The human tragedy in Gaza cannot be allowed to continue … a lasting ceasefire in Gaza must be achieved immediately,” he added.
Stressing that a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict must be implemented, he said: “The two-state solution remains the only viable path to resolving the Palestinian question. Both Gaza and the West Bank are inseparable parts of the Palestinian territory. Any post-war governance and reconstruction arrangements must adhere to the principle of Palestinians governing Palestine and respect the will of the Palestinian people.”