Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki 

UNITED NATIONS, AFP: Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki on Sunday accused Israel of “war crimes” in its nearly week-long offensive as he urged international pressure at a UN Security Council session.

“Some may not want to use these words -- war crimes and crimes against humanity -- but they know they are true,” Maliki told the virtual session on the crisis.

He renewed the charge -- angrily denounced by Israel -- that the Jewish state is pursuing a policy of “apartheid” against the Palestinians.

“Act now to end the aggression. Act now so freedom can prevail -- not apartheid,” he told the Security Council.

Maliki -- part of the Palestinian Authority, not the Hamas militant group which has been firing rockets into the Jewish state -- voiced regret over Israeli deaths but urged the Security Council to examine the power balance.

Israel “is an occupying colonial power. Any assessment of the situation that fails to take into account this fundamental fact is biased,” Maliki said.

“Israel always says, put yourselves in our shoes. But Israel is not wearing shoes. It is wearing military boots.”

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