Cuba Blames the US for Israeli Impunity in Gaza

On Thursday, Cuba held the United States responsible for the impunity with which Israel acts against the Palestinian people and has been bombing Gaza for nearly two weeks.

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Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez criticized the U.S. government's veto in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Brazil-drafted resolution.

He argued that the resolution didn't even call for a ceasefire but merely a humanitarian pause in the conflict. Rodriguez emphasized that this was the 46th instance in which Washington had used its veto power in the UNSC on matters related to the Middle East, particularly Israel.

Rodriguez compared how the UN Security Council readily adopts resolutions that endorse the use and threat of force, but when it comes to Israel, the same doesn't apply. He attributed Israel's impunity to the belief that there would be no consequences for its actions.

Rodriguez stressed that the current situation is the result of 75 years of illegal occupation, violations of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in their own territory, and Israel's aggressive and expansionist policies. He called for a reform of the UNSC to make it more democratic and representative of the diversity of nations.

He reiterated Cuba's proposal, which incorporates demands from international organizations like the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), that the solution lies in the existence of two states with borders as they were in 1967 and East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

On behalf of Cuba, he suggested the resumption of the 10th Extraordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which has extensive powers to address the Gazan crisis.

Rodriguez demanded an immediate ceasefire, especially after several international organizations have called for an end to Israel's bombings in Gaza and the cancellation of the announced invasion of the Palestinian enclave.