UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Friday condemned the United States for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution seeking an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling the move a “dark moment” and urging Washington to rethink its stance.
The resolution, tabled on Thursday, had demanded an unconditional ceasefire and the lifting of Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid. Pakistan expressed “profound regret” over its failure, stressing that it was focused purely on humanitarian relief.
Pakistan’s UN envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the veto had prevented the Council from acting at a time of immense human suffering. “That carries a heavy responsibility. And that is where the apology must lie,” he told the chamber.
He warned that blocking action risked enabling further bloodshed, noting that two million Palestinians remain trapped under bombardment and blockade. “Today’s failure sends a dangerous message: that their lives are deemed expendable and can be subordinated to political considerations,” he said.
Ahmad described Israel’s military campaign and settlement expansion as a “stark manifestation of settler colonialism in the 21st century,” undermining prospects for a two-state solution.
Reaffirming Islamabad’s support for the Palestinians, he called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, an end to the blockade, and full humanitarian access. He urged the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
“The cries of children should pierce our hearts. The anguish of mothers should shake our conscience. Palestine looks to this Council — and we cannot turn away,” he said.
Other diplomats also expressed frustration. Algeria’s UN envoy Amar Bendjama apologized to Gaza’s people after the vote, while Palestinian Ambassador Riyadh Mansoor warned the international community “cannot fail them any longer.”
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