UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Wednesday vetoed a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues.
The US voted down action has drawn strong criticism of the Biden administration for once again blocking international action aimed at halting Israel’s war in Gaza.
The 15-member council voted on a resolution put forward by 10 non-permanent members that called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in the 13-month conflict and separately demanded the release of hostages.
The US vetoed the resolution while the 14 other members of the Security Council voted in favour of the demand for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The resolution highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and demanded “immediate access by the civilian population to basic services and humanitarian assistance indispensable to its survival.”
The draft resolution rejected “any effort to starve Palestinians” and called for “the facilitation of full, rapid, safe, and unhindered entry of humanitarian assistance at scale to and throughout the Gaza Strip.”
Urging all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law, particularly regarding the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, it also demanded the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2735, which includes provisions for hostages, Palestinian prisoners, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The draft resolution also requested reports from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on its implementation and a comprehensive needs assessment for Gaza within 90 days. The US veto, however, prevents the measures from being enacted.
While the resolution called for the release of captives held in Gaza, Washington had voiced opposition to its demand for an “unconditional” ceasefire.
“We made clear throughout negotiations that we could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages,” Robert Wood, the deputy US envoy to the UN, said during the session in New York.
“A durable end to the war must come with the release of the hostages. These two urgent goals are inextricably linked. This resolution abandoned that necessity, and for that reason, the United States could not support it,” Wood said.
This is the fourth time that US President Joe Biden’s administration has vetoed a resolution calling for an end to the war in Gaza since Israel’s military offensive began in October of last year.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon thanked the US for using its veto.
The State of Palestine’s deputy UN envoy, Majed Bamya, stressed during Wednesday morning’s Security Council session that a ceasefire would allow all lives to be saved.
“This was true a year ago; this is even more true today. A ceasefire doesn’t resolve everything but it is the first step towards resolving anything,” Bamya said as quoted by Al Jazeera.
“The world should not grow accustomed to the death of Palestinians, to seeing Palestinian children starving, to seeing mothers carrying their children from one place to another, forcibly displaced,” he said.
“The fact we are Palestinians does not make that less shocking or less outrageous. Maybe for some, we have the wrong nationality, the wrong faith, the wrong skin colour — but we are humans and we should be treated as such.”
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began a year ago, Israeli forces have killed more than 43,900 Palestinians and wounded more than 103,000, according to the official death toll from the Palestinian health ministry. Some estimates, however, place the death toll at more than 100,000 Palestinians.
The US under the Biden administration has provided both diplomatic cover and military support for Israel’s war efforts in Gaza, and now Lebanon.
The US provides Israel with at least $3.8bn in military aid annually, and the Biden administration has authorised $14bn in further assistance to the country since the conflict in Gaza began, Al Jazeera reported.
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Biden’s administration is also playing a role in the negotiations for an end to the conflict.
On several occasions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected ceasefire proposals accepted by Hamas, defying the advice of his security establishment.
Hamas has been adamant that any ceasefire deal must eventually lead to the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian group rejected a recent proposal that would have brought the release of a small number of Israeli captives and a 30-day cessation of hostilities, but no withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
The US previously vetoed three Security Council draft resolutions that called for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza.
The US vetoed resolutions in October 2023, December 2023 and in February, while abstaining in votes on other draft resolutions.
