UN Security Council Fails to Reach Unified Statement on Israel-Palestine Issue

The UN Security Council convened an extraordinary meeting behind closed doors amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine but failed to reach a unified statement, reports Al Jazeera.

The United States has urged the council's 15 members to strongly condemn Hamas. “Many countries have condemned Hamas's attacks. It is clear that not everyone has,” said senior American diplomat Robert Wood to reporters after the meeting.

The council met for nearly 90 minutes and listened to remarks from UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland. Diplomats indicated that Security Council members had hoped for broader attention than just a condemnation of Hamas.

“My message was to immediately stop the fighting and move towards a ceasefire and meaningful negotiations, which the Security Council has been discussing for decades,” stated Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya.