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3. Abbas Blames US for 'Gaza Bloodshed' After UN Veto

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said on Saturday that the United States was "responsible for the bloodshed" of children in Gaza after it vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the territory.

"The president has described the American position as aggressive and immoral, a blatant violation of all humanitarian values and principles, and holds the United States responsible for the bloodshed of Palestinian children, women, and the elderly in Gaza" due to its support for Israel, said a statement from Abbas' office.

Washington's veto at a special meeting of the Security Council on Friday scuttled the growing efforts toward an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the territory led by UN chief Antonio Guterres and Arab nations.

American envoy Robert Wood said the resolution was "divorced from reality" and "would have not moved the needle forward on the ground."

Israel praised the veto, but the resolution's sponsor, the United Arab Emirates, said it was "deeply disappointed" by the result.

Abbas said on Saturday that "US policy makes it complicit in the crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem."

Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP