An urgent United Nations (UN) Security Council Meeting was held on Monday at the request of Jordan, in response to the current Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has so far resulted in almost 600 casualties. The meeting came hours after U.N secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, after a meeting with Palestinian president and Fatah leader, Mahmoud Abbas.

Despite Monday’s meeting, Fatah’s executive deputy commissioner of International Affairs, Dr. Husam Zomlot, lambasted the international community’s response to the conflict, questioning how many civilian casualties would be needed before action was taken against Israel.

“We are really dismayed to see the inaction of the international community. The mandate of the Security Council is to uphold universal values, uphold international law, and to keep the peace and protect civilians. I think they have failed miserably, given what we are seeing,” he told VOC Drivetime.

He was also critical of the statements coming from some of the major capitals like Washington, London and Paris, where officials were giving an excuse for the Israeli aggression. He suggested these statements were equating the Israeli offensive with the Palestinians way of defending themselves against the oppression.

“Some international capitals are giving cover to Benjamin Netanyahu to continue being a war criminal,” he claimed.

With the U.S based Human Rights Watch having recently issued a report accusing Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, Zomlot said there was sufficient proof that the Israeli government was turning Gaza into a “slaughter house”, where innocent woman, children and elderly people were being massacred.

“This is by no means a situation of equality, or symmetry. What Gazans and the Palestinians are doing is their absolute right, their birth right of self defence,” he said.

He also echoed the sentiments that the Israeli government were not showing any legitimate efforts to talk peace, and insisted the offensive had little to do with the safety of the Israeli people, but was rather based on political motives.

“Israel did not like our unity government. They hated it so much, because it comes right at the heart of their strategy. They want us divided and fragmented, they want Gaza to be a standalone entity so they can finish off their job in the West Bank, eating up what’s left of the land,” he said.

Zomlot called for international community to come with full force in defence of the Palestinian people, similar to the stance it took during South Africa’s own apartheid struggle. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)