DENIED

U.S. Blocks U.N. Call for Probe Into 58 Gaza Deaths

White House emphasizes Israel’s “right to defend itself.”

The United States blocked a United Nations Security Council statement drafted Monday that called for an independent investigation into Monday’s killing of at least 58 Palestinians along the Israeli-Gaza border. The deaths, alongside some 2,700 people who were injured, made Monday the deadliest day in Gaza since 2014. The protests erupted on the same day as the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem—a move that outraged Palestinians and many in the Muslim world. The statement, vetoed by the U.S., said in an initial draft: “The Security Council expresses its outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians exercising their right to peaceful protest. The Security Council calls for an independent and transparent investigation into these actions to ensure accountability.” After the scores of deaths on Monday, White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah blamed Hamas, refused to criticize Israel, and said: “Israel has a right to defend itself.”