UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. diplomats walked out of the U.N. Security Council after Syria’s ambassador accused the United States of being a party to “genocide” by protecting Israel and using its veto to deny the Palestinians their rights.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice led the walkout Tuesday while Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari was speaking. That happened after Russia and China vetoed a resolution threatening sanctions against President Bashar Assad’s regime if it didn’t immediately halt violence against civilians.
Ja’afari said without naming the U.S. that it used its Security Council veto 50 times since 1945 to protect Israel and therefore could be considered a party to “genocide, as this language is tantamount to turning a blind eye and supporting the Israeli massacres in occupied Arab lands.”
