MEETING SUNDAY: UN Ambassador Mona Juul represents Norway in the UN Security Council. Photo: Thomas Nilsson / VG
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NEW YORK (VG) While rockets are being fired and the number of dead is rising every day, the UN Security Council is unable to agree on a joint statement on what is happening in the Middle East. According to China, it is the United States that is putting its foot down.
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– We are impatient. We are pushing and really trying to find a way out, says UN Ambassador Mona Juul to VG outside the UN building after a nearly 3.5 hour long meeting in the Security Council.
On Sunday, the 15 member countries met for an open meeting about it exacerbated the situation in the Middle East which so far has cost several lives:
- On the Palestinian side: Near 200 are killed, including over 50 children and 30 women.
- On the Israeli side: 10 people were killed. Among the dead are two children.
—-WANTS TO SEE PROGRESS: Mona Juul wants the Security Council to agree on a joint statement regarding the situation in the Middle East. Photo: Thomas Nilsson / VG
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Will not divulge
The challenge, according to China, is that 14 out of 15 countries in the Security Council agree on a joint statement – but the veto power the United States holds back.
According to The Guardian The United States is also said to have tried to postpone meetings earlier this week, and voted no to proposals that were put forward.
– The 15 member countries have different points of view, wishes and emphasize different things, and they want to use different words and phrases, Juul says to VG who also adds that there is still agreement on a desire for a ceasefire.
Also read: Søreide: – Very worried about any escalation now
Juul does not want to go into which country or which country is setting foot, but Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who holds the presidency of the UN this month, is not afraid to point to the United States.
– China has worked with the member countries to agree on a joint press release from the Security Council. Unfortunately, only because of an obstacle from one country, the Security Council has not been able to speak with one voice. We urge the United States to take responsibility, he said during the meeting on Sunday.
—-PRESS CONFERENCE: Norway chaired the press conference after the meeting with China and Tunisia. Photo: FN
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Condemns attacks on Israel
The relationship between the United States and Israel has been rock solid for several years. Former US President Donald Trump moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, and recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.
Israel also has the support of current President Joe Biden.
Biden used Saturday to speak with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
He reiterated his strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza, and he condemned these arbitrary attacks on Israel. statement from the White House.
RUNNER: A Palestinian father carries his wounded daughter out of the ruins after an Israeli air strike.
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“Israel buys time”
Middle East professor at the University of Los Angeles, California (UCLA), Dov Waxman, believes the Biden administration is holding back for several reasons.
– I suspect that they first and foremost wanted to buy Israel time. In addition, Biden is a well-known supporter of Israel, and it may seem that this is also politically calculated in that they do not want a public laundry with Israel, he says to VG.
That way, Biden avoids criticism from Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats.
– It seems that they want to take this behind closed doors, he says.
Biden has received criticism in their own ranks for his lack of handling and his support for Israel, and the Democrats’ shooting star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has gone hard and called Israel “And apartheid”.
Biden has also been criticized by Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
– We can not be silent when our government sends $ 3.8 billion in military aid to Israel which is used to demolish Palestinian homes, imprison Palestinian children and displace Palestinian families.
“Enormous Disorder”
Although the United States may so far seem reluctant to agree on a joint statement from the Council, the escalating situation between Israel and militant groups in Gaza has prompted the world community to react.
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres took the podium in the UN building and said:
– The fighting must stop.
– The acts of war have already caused death, enormous suffering and damage to important infrastructure. I am appalled by the growing number of casualties of Palestinian civilians, including more women and children, from Israeli attacks in Gaza. I am also sorry for the Israelis killed by rockets from Gaza.
Juul does not want to go into detail about what the disagreements are due to or what the United States is reacting to, but emphasizes the importance of the Security Council coming together for a joint statement immediately.
– There is a strong need for a joint statement that gives a clear signal that the Security Council wants an end to the violence, that there is a need for a ceasefire and a solution to the conflict, Juul says to VG and adds:
– We demand an immediate cessation of all acts of violence, provocations, destruction and eviction plans and we called on both sides to work to quickly reduce the tension and end the violence.
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