U.S. blocks Security Council statement on Gaza​

United Nations, May 17 (RHC)-- A third United Nations Security Council emergency meeting in a week – amid the deadly Israeli offensive in Gaza – has again ended with no concrete outcome after the United States blocked a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The meeting on Sunday came after the U.S. twice blocked resolutions twice over the past week that would have condemned Israel’s military response and called for a ceasefire.  Nearly 200 people, including 58 children, have been killed in the intense bombing of the besieged enclave of two million people.

The latest round of inaction also comes as U.S. President Joe Biden has given no signs of plans to step up public pressure on Israel, instead repeatedly stressing Israel’s right to defend itself.

Critics, including members of Biden’s party, have accused the administration of whitewashing Israeli strikes.