Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia lambasted U.S. hypocrisy regarding Israel’s destruction of Gaza, during a special meeting of the UN General Assembly yesterday. “I also cannot leave unmentioned the hypocrisy of the U.S. and its allies, who in other, completely different situations call for compliance with humanitarian law, establish investigative commissions, impose sanctions against those who use force only as an extreme measure to stop the years-long violence,” he noted. “And today, seeing the horrifying destruction in Gaza, which exceeds everything that they criticize in other regional contexts multifold—strikes at civilian facilities, death of thousands of children and horrifying suffering of civilians amid a total blockage, they play mum. All they can do is to keep saying about Israel’s alleged right for self-defense, which, as an occupying state, it does not have, as was confirmed by the [UN] International Court consultative ruling in 2004.”
Nebenzia also underscored that Russia recognizes Israel’s right to ensure its security, but “it could be fully guaranteed only in case of a fair resolution of the Palestinian problem based on recognized UN Security Council resolutions.”
