Turkey’s Erdogan denounces UN ‘Israel protection council.

UNITED NATIONS/ISTANBUL/TEHRAN/ISLAMABAD  -  The United States on Friday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for an immediate ceasefire in the intense fighting be­tween Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Washington wielding its veto dash­es a growing clamor for an immedi­ate ceasefire that had been led by UN Chief Antonio Guterres and Arab nations. Guterres had convened an emergency meeting of the UN Secu­rity Council after weeks of fighting left more than 17,487 people dead in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. “The United Arab Emirates is deep­ly disappointed,” said the represen­tative of the UAE who had sponsored the resolution calling for a ceasefire. “Regrettably... this council is unable to demand a humanitarian cease­fire.” Pakistan expressed disappoint­ment over the UN Security Coun­cil’s failure, once again, to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Ba­loch said this is regardless of the human tragedy of epic proportions taking place there. She said despite the invocation of Article-99 of the UN Charter by the Secretary-Gener­al and his warnings of humanitari­an catastrophe in Gaza the Council has failed to perform its primary re­sponsibility to maintain internation­al peace and security.

She urged the UN Security Coun­cil to act now, end this inhuman war and protect the people of Gaza from an impending genocide.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday denounced the UN Security Council after the Unit­ed States vetoed a ceasefire resolu­tion for Gaza, describing the interna­tional body as the ‘Israel protection council’. “Since October 7, the secu­rity council has become an Israel protection and defence council,” Er­dogan said. “Is this justice?” asked Erdogan, adding that “the world is bigger than five,” a reference to the five veto-wielding nations in the UN Security Council. “Another world is possible, but without America,” the Turkish leader said.

Iran warned Saturday of the threat of an “uncontrollable explosion” of the situation in the Middle East, af­ter the United States vetoed a UN Se­curity Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the top diplomat of the Islamic repub­lic, also appealed for the immediate opening of the Rafah border cross­ing with Egypt to enable humanitar­ian aid to be sent into the Gaza Strip.

Militants from the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas launched an unprecedent­ed attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 peo­ple, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.