US, Israel Pushing to Clear UN Path for Escalation of Gaza Assault

As United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges restraint, both the U.S. and Israel are attempting to clear the path at the UN for the escalation of Israel’s assault on Gaza.

Speaking to the UN Security Council on Thursday, Ron Prosor—the Israeli envoy to the UN—dismissed calls for deescalation and ceasefire, comparing them to “asking a fire brigade to fight an inferno with a bucket of water,” according to the Guardian. In a moment of high theatrics, Prosor played a recording of an air raid siren in Israel.

Riyad Mansour, Palestinian ambassador to the UN, simply listed off the name of Palestinians killed by Israeli air raids, including eight children. “I speak on behalf of the suffering and grieving Palestinian people, who are enduring yet another barrage of death, destruction, trauma and terror,” he stated according to the Associated Press.

While the Palestinian death toll continues to rise, over 81 names are included on a list of the dead, provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza and reported by Ma’an news agency. No Israelis have been killed in rocket fire during this latest escalation in violence.