Arab League decries US veto on Palestinians

The Arab League on Saturday denounced the U.S. veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for the protection of Palestinians.

In a statement, the Cairo-based league said the current U.S. approach of hindering "any resolution seeking to stop the bloodshed of innocent Palestinians will lead to encourage the Israeli side to continue its practices."

"This will not create a suitable atmosphere for both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to return to negotiation to reach a just settlement of the Palestinian cause," the statement read.

The Arab League regretted failure of the UN Security Council "to take necessary measures to halt Israeli violations against the Palestinian people".

On May 18, Kuwait submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning Israeli violence and calling for "protection of the Palestinian people" in Gaza and the West Bank.

Bu the U.S. on Friday vetoed the resolution. Ten countries voted in favor, while the U.K., Poland, the Netherlands and Ethiopia abstained.

The resolution, which was revised three times and was said to have been "watered down," previously called for international protection for the Palestinian people.

The final draft called for "the consideration of measures to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in the Gaza Strip".

Since March, at least 118 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army gunfire during anti-occupation protests near the Gaza-Israel security fence.