Russia's representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said that Israel has no right to defense because it is the occupying party, according to the Russian media. He referred to a 2004 opinion of the International Court of Justice.
Nebenzia pointed out that "all the US and its allies have to go on is claiming Israel's alleged right to self-defense." According to him, Hamas militants "use force only as a last resort to stop years of violence," and the US behavior in this matter is "hypocritical."
Russia's UN envoy did not deny Israel's right to ensure its own security, but called for "fighting terrorists, not civilians," "stopping the bloodshed and allowing mediators to work on a diplomatic solution."
Earlier, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an "immediate, durable and sustainable humanitarian truce" between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
It also demanded the "continuous, sufficient and unimpeded" provision of vital goods and services to the civilian population trapped in the exclave" as Israel "expanded ground operations and intensified its bombing campaign."
Background. It has also been reported that Israel is demanding the resignation of the UN Secretary General after he said that the war in the Gaza Strip and that these Hamas attacks "did not take place in a vacuum."