Moscow: Israel impeding probe into crimes committed in Gaza

Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Maria Zabolotskaya, told the UN Security Council that Israel is impeding investigations into crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.

In a speech yesterday, Zabolotskaya said: “We welcome any efforts aimed at shedding light on the crimes committed during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”

“We are convinced that the UN is not doing enough in this area. Thousands of people are being killed. According to the International Court of Justice, there is a high probability of genocide currently taking place in the Gaza Strip.”

And the UN, in fact, has no access to reliable information. Israel deliberately impedes such access.

Zabolotskaya noted that Russia “unequivocally condemned from the outset the acts of violence committed against Israelis on 7 October. We firmly believe that those crimes, no matter how heinous, cannot be seen as a justification for collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and for Israel’s flagrant violations of international humanitarian law against Palestinian civilians.”

“That is our position, and as far as we can tell, the vast majority of the world’s states think the same,” said Zabolotskaya.

Words vs. action: A supplication for Gaza, and humanity