United States Vetoes UN Security Council Resolution for Gaza Ceasefire

The United States prevented the adoption of a proposed resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza at the United Nations Security Council. This marks the fourth instance during the ongoing conflict that the US has exercised its veto authority to protect its ally, Israel. The proposed text received affirmative votes from fourteen of the fifteen Council members. This draft resolution called for the war in Gaza “must end immediately, unconditionally and permanently and all remaining hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released”. Robert Wood, the Deputy US ambassador to the UN, stated that the document “abandoned” the essential requirement for “a linkage between a ceasefire and the release of hostages”. The United States faced strong condemnation from critics of its veto, and France expressed that it “deeply regretted” the action. The United Nations Security Council consists of five permanent members possessing veto power, alongside 10 elected members. This collective put forward the draft resolution, which additionally “rejected any effort to starve Palestinians”. The ballot took place concurrently with a UN warning that Palestinians in areas of northern Gaza, currently under siege by Israeli forces, were “facing diminishing conditions for survival” due to the virtual absence of aid deliveries for 40 days. Previously this month, a UN-supported evaluation indicated a high probability of imminent famine in parts of northern Gaza. The Israeli military has stated that its offensive, now in its sixth week, is aimed at regrouping Hamas fighters, and that it is assisting with civilian evacuations and the provision of supplies to hospitals. Ambassador Wood articulated that approving the resolution would have conveyed a “dangerous message” to Hamas, the armed group engaged in conflict with Israel, suggesting that “there’s no need to come back to the negotiating table”. Danny Danon, Israel’s UN ambassador, commented that the resolution “was not a path to peace, it was a roadmap to more terror, more suffering and more bloodshed”. “Many of you attempted to pass this injustice. We thank the United States for exercising its veto,” he further stated. Concurrently, Hamas alleged that the US was “directly responsible” for Israel’s “genocidal war” in Gaza. In response to the veto, China’s ambassador remarked that individuals were compelled to inquire: “Do Palestinian lives mean nothing?” France asserted that international humanitarian law was being disregarded and that an immediate and permanent ceasefire ought to have been the sole appropriate action. The United Kingdom declared its desire to conclude the conflict, alleviate the suffering in Gaza, and ensure the immediate liberation of all hostages. However, the most severe criticism directed at the US originated from entities beyond the Council’s immediate vicinity. Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), charged Washington with “once again” employing its veto authority “to ensure impunity for Israel as its forces continue to commit crimes against Palestinians in Gaza”. Israel refutes these allegations. The ongoing conflict commenced when Hamas gunmen breached the border and assaulted Israeli communities, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities, based on Israeli counts, and the abduction of 251 individuals into Gaza as hostages. Since that time, over 43,920 individuals have died in Gaza, as reported by the territory’s Hamas-administered health ministry. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the material on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external links is available.