UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Russia on Monday accused the United States of seeking to “filibuster” a UN Security Council statement on the Gaza crisis amid prolonged talks by the 15-nation body.

Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said his country could propose a full council resolution backing peace efforts if a lower-level statement cannot be agreed. That could force the United States into a veto to protect its Israeli ally.

Churkin said one country on the council indicated “quite transparently that they will not be prepared to go along with any reaction of the Security Council.”

He did not name the country but diplomats said the United States was delaying a statement sought by Arab nations.

Morocco, representing Arab countries on the 15-nation council, proposed a statement calling for a halt to the Israel-Hamas hostilities last Thursday.

Diplomats said the United States and other countries had proposed amendments to the text in talks on Monday. Churkin said one delegation had sought “quite extensive amendments” and that he suspected there was a bid to extend the talks.

“To me it unfortunately looked like a little bit of a filibuster attempt,” Churkin told reporters. The council was to meet again late Monday to discuss the statement.

Russia has already proposed a ministerial meeting of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East — the United States, Russia, United Nations and European Union — on the crisis.

Churkin said that if the statement was frustrated, his country could propose a Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire, supports the Egyptian-Arab led mediation efforts and calls for resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

The United States fiercely defends its Israeli ally at the Security Council, normally using its veto to block any criticism.

The US presidency said Saturday that rocket attacks fired on Israel by Palestinian militants in Gaza were a “precipitating factor” in the conflict.

“We believe that Israel has a right to defend itself, and they’ll make their own decisions about the tactics that they use in that regard,” Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/11/russia-accuses-us-of-blocking-un-gaza-statement/

Clinton heading to Middle East for Gaza conflict talks: White House

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Middle East for talks with Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders to seek a de-escalation of the violence in Gaza, the White House said on Tuesday.

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters in Cambodia that Clinton would leave for the region later on Tuesday. Clinton and Obama are attending a summit in Phnom Penh.

Clinton will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and with Palestinian Authority leaders in Ramallah, Rhodes said. She will later travel to Cairo.

Rhodes said the message of her trip will be that it is in nobody's interest for there to be an escalation of military conflict in Gaza.

USA should come out bold and confront Israel to stop oppressing and injustice violence over GAZA which I doubt if they will really do this on the long run.

All this talk and lobby could only calm down the violence for a short time, the violence will always be there until the right thing is done by returning GAZA to its rightful owner and stop oppressing the people over the rightful land.

Russia also blocked UN position in syria. so lets see who is crying like a lame duck. russia is a rogue state that puts money interest ahead of people's blood. see whats going on in syria. we have not forgotten so easily.

kopite: Russia also blocked UN position in syria. so lets see who is crying like a lame duck. russia is a rogue state that puts money interest ahead of people's blood. see whats going on in syria. we have not forgotten so easily.

I disagree with your position that Russia is a ROGUE STATE, if not for the like of Russia and China, USA would have took their oppression of smaller countries to another level. Do you ever think USA have the INTEREST of all these small countries they are invading with a propaganda of helping in mind. All they (USA) do is to pretend as if they are helping them likewise exploiting their resources (the situation of Libya should be fresh in our memory).

If USA truly have the interest of people at heart, I expect them to have weigh their stand against what is happening in DR CONGO and other country where there is crisis at present. The earlier we realise that USA only fight for its own selfish interest the better for us.

Osama Bin laden and Saddam hussein; two of the most notorious enemies of the western world, now late were creations of the Americans. The Americans used Osama to fight the war against the soviets when Afghanistan was invaded and labelled him a terrorist when he stopped supporting them. didn't they know he was violent when he was killing for them. Saddam Hussein was used to topple the Communist regime in Iraq during the cold war. as soon as he turned against the americans he became evil and we all forgot that he used to work for them. It is a fact that more Muslims have died in attacks by extremists and violent people who claim to be fighting for Islam. Are these people truly religious? I doubt it. Should the normally peaceful Muslims who worship God in the best known way to them be punished for the sins of these people/ I don't believe so. I am a Yoruba and i am surrounded by peaceful Muslims. In my community we take care of ourselves either muslim or christians and we care for each other. That is exactly what Jesus teaches us to do as christians. Government and people all over the world have been making a huge mistake, given violence a religious identity and promoting hatred.

In this regards, I believe the Palestinians have been unjustly oppressed, dispossessed of their land and worst of all, being made to look evil when they are in fact, victims. Nobody exactly claims to be the original inhabitants of any land. Man originated from Africa and migrated elsewhere. If the Jews claim ownership of the land based on the holy books, then the holy books even indicate that they got the land by conquest and we might never even know the boundaries of the land said to be occupied by the Hebrews in the Bible. The Arabs occupying the midle east today, most of them got there also by conquests as is most nations today including the US and Britain(Anglo-saxons versus celts). But as the world evolved, man became more enlightened so that the urge to make war and violence began to look crude. man began to desire peace but still could not avoid war, hence the signing of treaties and creation of the UN. In this modern day, any arbitrary occupation and dispossession of other peoples of the lands they occupy and systematic destruction of lives and restriction of people is viewed as genocide and is considered wrong. There have been such cases in modern history and the international community have labelled them as such, all except the creation of Israel because it was done by the world powers themselves.