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United States Vetoes UN Cease-Fire Resolution for Gaza
On Tuesday, the United States vetoed a draft Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. The proposed resolution received 13 votes of support from the Security Council’s 15 members. The US voted against it. Britain abstained.
A Security Council draft resolution requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from any of the council’s five permanent members (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States).
The Algerian-drafted resolution would have demanded an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and condemned all attacks on civilians. The plan would have prohibited forced relocation of Palestinian civilians and sought unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. The plan would also have required the immediate and unconditional release of all captives.
Before the vote on the draft resolution, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, stated that the Algerian draft would jeopardise continuing efforts to reach a hostage compromise. She stated that her delegation was working on a competing draft resolution that would call for a “temporary cease-fire” in exchange for the release of all captives.
Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations, stated before the vote that Washington continues to grant Israel “a licence to kill.” He requested Security Council members “to counter the lawlessness of Washington.”
Speaking after the vote, Nebenzia stated that Washington bears full responsibility for the implications of Tuesday’s conclusion, no matter how much it attempts to avoid it by citing its “important mediation efforts.”
Following the vote, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, voiced his country’s significant displeasure and unhappiness with the outcome.
“The U.S. veto sent a wrong message, pushing the situation in Gaza into a more dangerous one,” he told reporters.
The United States’ allegation that the Algerian-drafted resolution would interfere with ongoing diplomatic efforts is completely false, according to Zhang.
The Security Council must take steps to promote a cease-fire, as is its legal responsibility. The US veto cannot drown out the strong appeal for a cease-fire and an end to the conflict in Gaza. The Security Council cannot halt its efforts to preserve justice and implement its responsibilities solely because of the veto, he stated.
Given the dire circumstances on the ground, French UN envoy Nicholas de Riviere expressed sadness that the proposed resolution had not been accepted.
“There is an extreme urgency to conclude, without further delay, an agreement on a cease-fire, which finally guarantees the protection of all civilians and the massive delivery of emergency aid,” he told reporters. “The human toll and humanitarian situation in Gaza are intolerable and Israeli operations must stop.”
The Algerian text was the sixth Gaza-related draft resolution voted on by the Security Council since October 7, 2023. Only two draft resolutions have been adopted, and neither calls for a cease-fire.
