UNITED NATIONS, November 20. /TASS/. Moscow will continue to call for an end to violence against Palestinians and will not allow the US to muzzle the UN Security Council as Washington seeks to support Israel's operation in Gaza, said Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's envoy to the UN.

"We will continue to stand firmly for ending violence against the Palestinians. Without a shadow of a doubt, we will continue to expose the abuses and sanctimony with which the US is handling the situation. We will not allow the Americans to gag the entire council with their hands in an effort to encourage further continuation of Israel's ruthless operation," he said in a speech at the Security Council.

According to Nebenzya, the Security Council should "bring peace, stability and prosperity to the Middle East."

"No one, including the United States and other indulgent representatives of the West, has the right to obstruct these legitimate aspirations," the Russian diplomat said.

Previously, the US used its veto power in the UN Security Council to block a draft resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that was prepared by the council’s 10 non-permanent members and demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This is the fifth time that the United States has blocked a resolution that calls for a Gaza ceasefire since the beginning of the escalation in October of last year. The US also blocked granting Palestine full membership in the UN.