U.S. blocks emergency meeting on Gaza violence: Palestinian official

RAMALLAH, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United States has blocked a Palestinian demand for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the Israeli military escalation on Gaza, Palestinian official said on Sunday.

"The United States has managed to obstruct holding a meeting of the UNSC. We could not even get a UNSC presidential statement to condemn the Israeli crimes in Gaza,'' the Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour told the Voice of Palestine Radio.

Mansour added that Washington has stressed any UNSC president statement should only condemn the Eilat attacks, in which eight Israelis were killed on Thursday.

On Saturday, an aid to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the president will ask for an emergency meeting of the UNSC to discuss the Israeli deadly airstrikes on the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Israeli attacks have caused the death of at least 14 Palestinians since Thursday.

The airstrikes came hours after Israel accused Palestinian militants of carrying out a well-planned operation in the Red Sea city of Eilat, north of Israel, were eight Israelis were killed.

Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts

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