Current:Home > ScamsRussia and China veto U.S. resolution calling for cease-fire in Gaza as Blinken visits Israel -FutureFinance
Russia and China veto U.S. resolution calling for cease-fire in Gaza as Blinken visits Israel
View
Date:2025-04-17 15:19:59
Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution at the United Nations Security Council on Friday which would have declared "the imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire" in the Israel-Hamas war. Russia's ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, said the draft language did not go far enough, and that the council must "demand" a cease-fire.
The vote came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday on the final stop in his sixth urgent trip to the region since the start of the war in October.
Blinken said the U.S. resolution "got very strong support but then was cynically vetoed by Russia and China."
"I think we were trying to show the international community a sense of urgency about getting a cease-fire tied to the release of hostages — something that everyone, including the countries that vetoed the resolution, should have been able to get behind," he said. "The resolution, of course, also condemned Hamas. It's unimaginable why countries wouldn't be able to do that."
Blinken said he was meeting with Israeli officials "to have candid conversations, as friends do," and to urge alternatives to Israel's planned ground assault into the southern Gaza city of Rafah during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's war cabinet.
"A major ground operation there would mean more civilian deaths, it would worsen the humanitarian crisis," Blinken told journalists in Cairo on Thursday. "There is a better way to deal with the threat, the ongoing threat posed by Hamas."
In a statement overnight, European Union leaders called "for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance."
So little food has been allowed into Gaza that up to 60% of children under 5 are now malnourished, compared with fewer than 1% before the war began, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday.
The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza raised the territory's death toll Thursday to nearly 32,000 Palestinians. The ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its counts but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people in the surprise Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza that triggered the war, and abducted another 250 people. Hamas is still believed to be holding some 100 people hostage, as well as the remains of 30 others.
- In:
- Antony Blinken
- Hamas
- Israel
- United Nations
veryGood! (2)
Related
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- French soccer federation condemns Nice player Atal for reportedly reposting hate speech against Jews
- Inside Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Very Genuine Connection
- Jewish people around the world grieve and pray for peace in first Shabbat services since Hamas attack
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Few Republicans have confidence in elections. It’s a long road for one group trying to change that
- Australia looks for new ways to lift Indigenous living standards after referendum loss
- Arrest made in airport parking garage shooting that killed Philadelphia officer and injured another
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Proof Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's Daughter Malti Is Dad's No. 1 Fan
Ranking
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Illinois man killed Muslim boy, 6, in hate crime motivated by Israeli-Hamas war, police say
- AP Top 25: Washington into top 5 for 1st time in 6 years. Air Force ranked for 1st time since 2019
- Pakistani forces clash with militants and kill 6 fighters during a raid in the northwest
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Banker who got into double trouble for claiming 2 meals on expenses loses UK lawsuit over firing
- Putin’s visit to Beijing underscores China’s economic and diplomatic support for Russia
- 'Netflix houses', where fans can immerse themselves in their favorite shows, will open in US by 2025
Recommendation
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Arrest made in airport parking garage shooting that killed Philadelphia officer and injured another
FBI report: Violent crime decreases to pre-pandemic levels, but property crime is on the rise
What Google’s antitrust trial means for your search habits
Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
Jewish people around the world grieve and pray for peace in first Shabbat services since Hamas attack
Mary Lou Retton's Family Shares Remarkable Update Amid Gymnast's Battle With Rare Illness
Japan criticizes Russian ban on its seafood following the release of treated radioactive water