Gaza Strip: Death Toll Shocks Entire World, Everyone... Except the United States of Course
Alexander Khristenko is reporting on today's discussions within the UN Security Council.
The UN Security Council held an extraordinary meeting on the bloodshed on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The protests were spurred by the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem. But the US ambassador to the UN claimed that the latter had nothing to do with the clashes; and that the opening of the embassy should be celebrated, not condemned.
Nikki Haley: "Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem was the right thing to do. It reflects the will of the American people. It reflects our sovereign right to decide the location of our embassy. Importantly, this move reflects the reality that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel".
Not only all members of the Security Council, but also the absolute majority of the UN member states do not agree with the US actions. The world community believes that East Jerusalem must become the capital of the Palestinian state. Russian representative Dmitry Polyansky began his speech with condolences to the families of victims.
Dmitry Polyansky: "Despite ambitious plans and tremendous projects of some international actors, the world, including the Middle East, has not become safer. Many unilateral actions that have been taken in contradiction with the international law have only reinforced destabilizing trends. The state of affairs on the Palestinian territory is a vivid example showing that the situation is developing in a wrong way".
Donald Trump championed the idea to move the embassy. He wanted to address the reception on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Israel's independence, but he had to fly urgently to a military hospital: His wife Melania underwent a surgery on the kidney after the detection of a benign tumor. But even in his absence, the name of Donald Trump was brought into line with King David.
Mike Pence: "From King David's time to our own, Pres. Trump has now etched his name into the ineffaceable story of Jerusalem. It's a great day for Israel".
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, daughter Ivanka and the US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin addressed the opening ceremony. While solemn speeches and applause were heard there, sirens were wailing and bullets were whistling 120 km far from the embassy. However, Washington does not feel any responsibility for this.
Raj Shah, Deputy Press Secretary: "The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas. Hamas is intentionally provoking this reaction".
Mistake the wish for the reality, the White House seems to have sunk to a complete disregard of the real situation.
John Bolton: "I think it will make it easier. It's a recognition of reality. If you're not prepared to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that's where the American embassy should be, then you're operating on a completely different wavelength".
By tradition, having ruined all previous agreements, the Trump administration says that it is necessary to continue the negotiations. The US unilateral decision, in fact, deprives it of the neutral status of a mediator in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Apparently, the US hopes that the problem will go away somehow, but turning a blind eye to the conflict doesn't mean settling it. There still are more than 2 million indignant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and now peace is less feasible than ever.
Alexander Khristenko, Nikolai Koskin for Vesti from Washington, the USA.