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Israel-Gaza war: Philippines’ ‘embarrassing’ abstention from UN resolution sparks protest near Israeli embassy
- Philippine protesters condemn Manila’s ‘neutrality in a time of genocide’ in Gaza and clash with police in front of the Israeli embassy
- Manila justifies its decision to abstain as it wanted the UN resolution to state the attack by Hamas that had caused casualties including three Filipinos
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Four days after the Philippine delegation to the United Nations abstained from a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza, protesters staged a demonstration in front of the Israeli embassy in Manila.
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Renato Reyes Jnr of the activist group Bagong Alyanang Makabayan (Bayan) on Tuesday condemned the Philippine government for supporting “Israel’s occupation and genocide”.
He called the abstention an “embarrassing display” of “neutrality in a time of genocide” by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration.
“With our common colonial history and the ongoing massacre of thousands in Gaza, we Filipinos have a duty to stand with the Palestinian people, stand with the oppressed and not the oppressors,” the protest leader added.
The Philippines was the only Southeast Asian country not to vote in favour of the UN resolution last Friday, joining 44 other countries including Australia, Britain and Canada that had abstained.
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