米が 「パレスチナ人の窮状を無視」　中国、安保理会合延期で非難

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】イスラエルとパレスチナの衝突激化をめぐり、１４日に予定されていた国連安全保障理事会の緊急会合が米国の異議により延期されたことを受けて、中国は同日、イスラム教徒らの「窮状を無視」しているとして、米国を非難した。（写真はガザ地区ガザ市にある、国連が運営する学校に避難した人々）
　外交関係者らによると、国連におけるイスラエルの外交上の後ろ盾となっている米国は当初、１４日に予定されていた緊急会合の開催に反対したが、最終的に１６日への延期に同意した。
　中国外務省の華春瑩報道官は記者会見で、今回の衝突について安保理が声を上げることを、米国が「国際社会の反対側に立ち」一方的に妨害したと主張した。
　華氏は「われわれが感じるのは、米国はイスラム教徒の人権に配慮していると繰り返し言いながら、パレスチナの人々の窮状は無視しているということだ」と指摘。
　同氏は今回の米国の消極的姿勢と、米英独が中国に対しイスラム教徒のウイグル人への抑圧をやめるよう呼び掛けていることを引き比べ、「米国はパレスチナのイスラム教徒の命も同等に大事なのだと気付くべきだ」と訴えた。ウイグル問題は、米中対立の焦点の一つとなっている。
　米国は、ガザ地区を実効支配するイスラム原理主義組織ハマスのロケット弾攻撃に対するイスラエル側の反撃を擁護。その一方でジョー・バイデン政権は、民間人が払う犠牲に懸念を示している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/05/17-15:56）

China on Friday accused the United States of ignoring the suffering of muslims, after Washington blocked a scheduled UN Security Council meeting aimed at addressing an intensifying conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
The US, Israel's diplomatic shield at the UN, blocked an originally scheduled Friday session despite the deepening bloodshed -- but eventually agreed to move it to Sunday, diplomats said.
As the crisis has unfurled, China has taken up the Palestinian cause at the Security Council, a venue where it frequently plays its veto card to block motions against its allies.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters the US had single handedly obstructed the Security Council from speaking out on the crisis, standing on the opposite side of the international community.
What we can feel is that the US keeps saying that it cares about the human rights of Muslims... but it was ignoring the suffering of the Palestinian people, Hua added.
She contrasted America's reluctance at the Security Council with calls by the US, Britain and Germany for China to end repression of its Uyghur Muslim minority -- an incendiary issue in US-China relations.
The US should realise that the lives of Palestinian Muslims are equally precious, she said.
The US, Israel's key ally, has defended the Jewish state's deadly offensive, which comes in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip.
But President Joe Biden's administration has also voiced alarm over civilian casualties and earlier pushed Israel to hold off on evictions of Palestinians in Jerusalem, the immediate trigger for the flare-up.
Hua said Friday that efforts should be made to lower temperatures and prevent the crisis from escalating.
She restated that China will push the Security Council to take action soon, as well as reiterate its firm support for a two-state solution.
Security Council sessions, held by videoconference due to the pandemic, require support of all 15 members.