US and Russian representatives to the United Nations clashed at a Security Council meeting over which country should do better to resolve the conflict in the Gaza Strip, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
“I don’t have to sit here and explain to you why the United States is doing what it’s doing with these resolutions. You know it very well and I think everybody in this room knows it,” US Deputy Envoy Robert Wood said in response to his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Polyanskiy.
The Russian diplomat previously said the US had obstructed a ceasefire in Gaza by supporting Israel and vetoing UN Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian enclave.
Wood stressed that the US is now focused on its efforts with Egypt and Qatar to implement the framework agreed to by the Israeli government and Hamas.
Wood also stressed that Hamas had changed its position on the proposed ceasefire deal and hostage release.
“So my recommendation to you and your government is if you’re going to make a positive contribution, do it. If you’re not, you should probably shut up,” Wood said.
Polyanskiy responded that Wood should keep his recommendations about himself or the Russian government to himself. The US should stop blocking the UNSC from discussing the Palestinian issue.
The US bears responsibility for what is happening now in Gaza because more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023, Polyanskiy said. (Ant/Z-2)
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