JEDDAH: The US vetoed on Friday an Arab-backed UN draft resolution calling for protection measures for the Palestinians that won backing from 10 countries at the Security Council. China, France and Russia were among the countries that voted in favor of the draft put forward by Kuwait on behalf of Arab countries. Four countries abstained. A draft resolution requires nine votes to be adopted in the 15-member council and no veto from the five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the US. The Kuwait-sponsored draft resolution “deplored” and demanded a halt to “the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force” by the Israeli military, while it also “deplored the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli civilian areas.” Later, the UN Security Council voted down a US-written resolution condemning Hamas over the recent escalation of violence in Gaza. The US was the only yes vote for the measure. Earlier, Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s permanent representative in the UN, rejected the US amendment of the bid and said the move is “hostile to the Palestinian people.” Mansour had earlier said that if the US vetoed the bid, “we will have other options, one of them is to go to the UN General Assembly, but so far we have to wait and see.” The Gaza Strip has been witnessing an escalation of conflict with Israel since the start of the Palestinian rallies and protests called “the Great March of Return” on March 30, during which 118 Palestinians have been killed, including 13 children. Thousands of others were injured. The participants in the rallies are calling for the right of return for the Palestinian refugees and putting an end to the 11-year Israeli blockade imposed on the coastal enclave since 2007 after Hamas came to power.