The US at night thwarted a UN Security Council (UNSC) draft statement condemning the Israeli massacre in Gaza on Monday.
The draft statement proposed by Kuwait demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the Israeli crimes and emphasized the illegality of transferring the embassy of any state in the world to Jerusalem.
The statement which was approved by 14 countries and rejected by Washington called on all countries including the US to abide by the UNSC resolutions on Jerusalem and its legal and international status.
The statement expressed the UNSC deep concern over the recent developments in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 with East Jerusalem included and the loss of Palestinian civilians who were practicing their right to peaceful protest in Gaza.
It also asked member states to intensify their efforts to end the blockade on Gaza in accordance with the UNSC resolution 1860 of 2009 and called for sending urgent aid to Gaza to alleviate the catastrophic situation there.
Based on the Kuwait-proposed statement any decisions or actions that would alter the status or the demographic character of Jerusalem are null and legally void.
For his part the UN Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine Riyad Mansour expressed his regret at the US move and said that his counterpart at the UN headquarters in Geneva is seeking an emergency meeting of the Human Rights Council to start an independent investigation into what happened Monday in Gaza.
The US on Monday officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem stirring widespread anger. The Palestinians believe that this move is a prelude to full Israeli control over the holy city including its eastern part which the Palestinians want to be the capital of their future state.
US president Donald Trump on 6th December 2017 recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced his plan to move the US embassy in Israel to the holy city.
Washington had decided to open its embassy in Jerusalem on 14th May which marks the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba when over 760000 Palestinians were expelled from their lands in 1948.
The Israeli army has killed 113 Palestinians and injured over 12000 since the launch of the Great Return March in the Gaza Strip on 30th March to demand the right of return for refugees and call for ending a decade-long blockade on the coastal enclave.
