 |
| ▲ Residents of the southern city of Rafa in the Gaza Strip inspect a building that has been destroyed, in this AFP photo on Oct. 22, 2023. (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) N Korea-Israel-US
(2nd LD) N. Korea blames U.S. for instigating Israel-Hamas conflict
(ATTN: ADDS statement by N.K. foreign ministry official in paras 6-8)
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Monday accused the United States of being behind the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, saying Washington is "entirely" responsible for the tragedy.
The condemnation follows U.S. President Joe Biden's recent trip to Israel where he reiterated his backing of Israel and condemned a deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza by what he called a terrorist group.
"The U.S. is the ringleader in the Middle East situation," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said. "A massive battle of slaughter is intensifying in the Middle East due to the biased and intentional instigation of the U.S."
The North took issue with how Washington vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for humanitarian aid access to Gaza last week. The U.S. opposed the action, noting how the draft failed to mention Israel's right to self-defense.
Pyongyang lashed out at both the U.S. and the European Union over the vote, saying Washington has "altogether annihilated a small chance to prevent the worsening of the situation in the Middle East," while the EU backed the stance with the "absence of its independent thinking and principle."
Later in the day, Jo Chol-su, director general of the North's Department of International Organizations of the foreign ministry, said in a statement that the U.S. "is, indeed, an accomplice in massacre, chieftain of human rights abuses and enemy of peace in the Middle East," as it violates the international human rights law and "connives at and fosters the crimes against humanity."
The official also lambasted Washington for its "double standards," claiming the U.S. has questioned the North's "every legitimate exercise of the right to self-defense" as a threat to international peace and security while patronizing its allies' atrocities as their due rights.
"The international community should raise the voices of denunciation against the U.S. which is disturbing the regional and global peace and security and conniving at and fostering massacre of civilians and humanitarian large disasters with high-handed and arbitrary practices and double-dealing standards," the statement read.
Seoul's unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said the North appears to be bent on fostering an anti-U.S. sentiment.
"It is regrettable that North Korea is not taking account of the direct cause of the Israel-Hamas conflict and is only obsessed with anti-U.S. incitement," Koo Byoung-sam, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a regular press briefing.
Earlier this month, the North denounced Israel over the conflict, saying it is the "consequence of Israel's ceaseless criminal actions" against the people of Palestine.
It also denied that the Hamas militant group used North Korean weapons for its surprise attack on Israel as "groundless," accusing Washington of cooking up false accusations.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
