Hamas political leader Ismail Haneyya hailed the position of Russia and China in the Security Council after blocking the US pro-Israel resolution.
In a press statement Haneyya expressed his appreciation to all the Security Council member states that demanded an end to the aggression “against our Palestinian people in Gaza.”
He called on the international community to oblige the occupation to respect human rights rules and to apply international law and international humanitarian law “on our people in the Gaza Strip in particular and Palestine in general.”
Earlier Wednesday Russia and China used their veto power to block a UN Security Council resolution drafted by the US which expressed support for Israel’s ‘right to self-defense’ and called for the immediate release of all hostages.
In Wednesday’s vote in the 15-member council 10 countries voted in favor Russia China and the United Arab Emirates voted against and Brazil and Mozambique abstained.
China’s representative said Beijing opposes the resolution because it does not call for an immediate ceasefire.
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya criticized the US resolution saying it would deteriorate the situation and was aimed at strengthening US Middle East policy rather than saving lives.
