China blames US; Canada expresses concern

In a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart on Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister blamed the United States for the lack of action at the United Nations Security Council on the recent Israeli attacks on Palestinians.

"Regrettably, the council has so far failed to reach an agreement, with the United States standing on the opposite side of international justice," Wang Yi said, as quoted by the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Wang said China, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, expects all parties to speak with a unified voice when the council discusses the conflict during its meeting later on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Canada said it was following the recent developments in Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza with "grave concern".

Canadian foreign minister Marc Garneau tweeted that Ottawa stood "for media freedom", but failed to condemn Israel after it bombed a high-rise building in Gaza that housed a number of international media organisations, including Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, and Al Jazeera.

1/2 Canada continues to follow the situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza with grave concern.

We urge all parties to take immediate steps to end the violence, de-escalate tensions, protect all civilians, refugees, journalists and media workers.
— Marc Garneau (@MarcGarneau) May 16, 2021