UN and EU want investigation into Israelis killing 15 Palestinians
The UN and EU have called for an independent investigation into the attacks on Palestinians in Gaza by Israeli troops on Friday.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres wants “an independent and transparent investigation” into the violence that killed 15 Palestinians and injured hundreds, spokesman Farhan Haq said.
The EU’s most senior diplomat, Federica Mogherini, called for an independent inquiry into the use of live ammunition by Israel’s military.
“The EU mourns the loss of life. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims,” Ms Mogherini said yesterday. “The use of live ammunition should, in particular, be part of an independent and transparent investigation.
“Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are fundamental rights that must be respected.”
UN Security Council members urged restraint on both sides but an emergency meeting convened by Kuwait on Friday evening did not decide on any action or joint message.
Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour said he was disappointed that the Security Council did not condemn a “heinous massacre” of peaceful demonstrators, or to support his call to provide protection for Palestinian civilians.
“We expect the Security Council to shoulder its responsibility” and “defuse this volatile situation, which clearly constitutes a threat to international peace and security”, Mr Mansour said.
Israeli ambassador Danny Danon said that “the Palestinians sunk to a new deceitful low so that they could use the UN to spread lies about Israel” while its representatives were not present because of the Passover holiday.
Some Security Council members suggested an investigation and emphasised that Israel should ensure force is only used proportionally.
Some also made a point of noting Israel’s security concerns and calling on demonstrators to avoid violence.
They all expressed alarm at the flare-up of conflict in a volatile region.
“The situation is extremely worrisome,” said Swedish deputy ambassador Carl Skau.
Equatorial Guinea’s ambassador, Anatolio Ndong Mba, warned that continuing violence could “escalate out of control and could further imperil what is already a very delicate situation” in Gaza.
The United States, which often complains about what it sees as anti-Israel bias at the UN, urged all involved in the conflict to lower the tension.
“Bad actors who use protests as a cover to incite violence endanger innocent lives,” said Walter Miller, an adviser at Washington’s UN mission.
Russia and China, meanwhile, emphasised a need to step up diplomatic efforts toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole.
Israel and Hamas have fought three cross-border wars in recent years.
The protests come in Gaza’s 10th year of border closure.
Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after Hamas seized Gaza from forces loyal to the militants’ rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in 2007.
The use of live ammunition should be part of an independent and transparent investigation FEDERICA MOGHERINI EU diplomat