MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States has blocked the UN Security Council motion calling for an investigation into the deaths of Palestinians killed in violent clashes with the Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip border, Haaretz reported on Tuesday.
According to the Haaretz newspaper, the UN Security Council in its draft statement, prepared by Kuwait, had expressed its indignation at the killing of dozens of Palestinian protesters by the Israeli Defense Forces during the escalated clashes and called for an independent international probe into the situation. However, the United States on Monday blocked it from being adopted.
Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that the Palestinians death toll in Monday’s clashes in Gaza had increased to 61. The rallies, which started on March 30 to mark the 70th anniversary of Nakba, the Palestinian exodus after Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, intensified on Monday over the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.
Also on Monday, the White House blamed the Hamas terrorist group for the Palestinian deaths.
In total, over 100 Palestinian protesters have been killed and over 12,000 others have been wounded by the Israeli forces since the onset of the riots. Numerous countries have urged both sides to exercise restraint to avoid more casualties.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
