BEIJING, December 11. /TASS/. The United States is sowing "more seeds of hatred" in the Middle East by vetoing the UN Security Council’s resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said.
"It is regrettable and disappointing that the US was the only country to veto a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire," she pointed out at a briefing. "Condoning the conflict means that there will be more civilian casualties and the humanitarian disaster will get much worse. It will only sow more seeds of hatred," the diplomat added.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted that, in the two months since the renewed escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, almost 20,000 civilians had been killed and more than 1 mln people had been displaced and forced to leave their homes. "The international community is in consensus on the need to put an immediate end to military activities," she said.
According to Mao, when resolving issues "of war and peace, life and death," those countries that can exert influence on the international stage should play a constructive role "in taming the flames of war," and do everything possible to prevent civilian casualties.
On December 8, the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution submitted by the United Arab Emirates, which called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This was the second time that the US vetoed a UN resolution since the conflict escalated. Thirteen out of the 15 UN Security Council members backed the document, while the UK abstained.
Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of border communities and taking numerous hostages. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and started carrying out retaliatory strikes on targets in the Strip, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria.