Live updates: UN General Assembly adopts resolution calling for international investigation into Israel’s use of deadly force
* The US and Israel are facing criticism that their military actions are a violation of international law, the United Nation General Assembly has backed its calls for an inquiry and expressed solidarity with Palestinian victims of the recent fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas.
The US vetoed a resolution put forward by the European Union calling for an independent fact-finding inquiry into the deaths of 31 Palestinian protesters in Gaza who were shot by Israeli troops on Monday.
And the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned against the UN “being used as a platform to advance their domestic political agendas” – language that may have been interpreted as a threat against Israel.
“If the United Nations chooses to become a platform for the United States and Israel, then there are many countries that could choose to be that platform as well, including the United Nations,” she said.
The US vetoed the resolution, which was proposed by the European Union, on Wednesday. It was then put on hold and will be considered again at a later date.
The Palestinian Authority called on the US to withdraw its veto, saying that it was a “despicable move.”
Earlier, Israel’s ambassador to the UN said that he had told a UN delegation that “the use of force against civilians in Gaza was a war crime.”
The US said Wednesday that it is prepared to talk to Israel about “the humanitarian tragedies” of its recent military action, but will not change its policy on settlements.
“The US is a country, like any other, with its own policy and laws. I’m confident that we will find a peaceful solution,” Haley said at the UN in New York.
“We will, of course, look at the other side of the issue,” she told reporters, adding that she did not want to “jump to any other conclusions.”
Haley said that the US will not alter its approach to the Middle East based on the UN’s resolution.