America shuts down attempt by U.N. to characterize Palestinian protesters as 'peaceful,' investigate deaths

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 15 May 2018

The United States has blocked the United Nations Security Council from issuing a call for an independent investigation into the deaths of dozens of Palestinians who were killed Monday along the Gaza border, CNBC reports.

The drafted statement would have read: "The Security Council expresses its outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians exercising their right to peaceful protest. The Security Council calls for an independent and transparent investigation into these actions to ensure accountability."

The violence came in a surge of protest against Monday's opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, a city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians as their capital. President Trump decided last year to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In remarks at the dedication of the embassy on Monday, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said that the protesters "provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution." His comments were apparently later removed from the White House's official transcript.

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Nearly 60 people were killed in Gaza on Monday, including eight children under the age of 16, and some 2,000 or more people were injured, local monitors report. Global human rights watchdog Amnesty International called the violence "a shameless violation of international law, in some instances constituting war crimes." The White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been reluctant to characterize the Palestinian protests as "peaceful," though, with Israel saying it acted in self-defense against terrorists.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.