BEIJING, May 18. /TASS/. The United States adds fuel to the fire of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by providing weapons to Tel Aviv, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian told a news conference on Tuesday.
The official said that at the May 16 meeting of the UN Security Council most countries urged immediate ceasefire and a political settlement of the conflict.
"We believe that the UN Security Council should send a concerted message and promote peace talks between the parties. However, the United States, instead of taking steps to end the conflict, has merely added fuel to the fire," he said.
"The United States has found itself in unprecedented isolation in the UN security Council. It is in conflict with conscience and morality. The world community is deeply disappointed by the United States' behavior towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," Zhao said, adding that the United States all the way professed its commitment to the protection of rights of Muslims, but ignored the rights of the Palestinians.
The Washington Post said on Monday the Biden administration had approved the sale of $735 million worth of smart weapons to Israel. According to the daily, US Congress received the corresponding notification on May 5, several days before the Israeli army and the Palestinian radicals began to exchange missile strikes. The daily remarks that the legislators have a 20-day deadline for presenting a resolution, having no mandatory force, with objections to the deal.
Radical Palestinian groups and the Israeli army have been exchanging missile attacks since May 10, following unrest near the Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, triggered by an Israeli court ruling to confiscate homes from several Arab families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. According to the latest statistics, no less than ten people have been killed and hundreds of others injured on the Israeli side. The Palestinian side reports more than 200 dead and nearly 6,000 others injured.