US vetoes UN Security Council resolution on Israel-Hamas war

The United Nations Security Council displayed deep divisions on Wednesday when it failed to adopt a resolution on the war between Israel and Hamas, amid concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza was deteriorating and that the conflict risked spreading to the region.

The resolution had the support of the majority of Council members and was expected to pass. The U.S. veto sparked criticism of U.S. double standards and accusations that the United States, which had criticized Russia for paralyzing the Council over the Ukraine war, was obstructing the Council's work. But the US ambassador said the United States could not support the resolution without mentioning Israel's right to self-defense.

Brazil, which assures This rotating presidency of the Council last month presented a resolution calling for humanitarian access and the protection of civilians in Gaza, the immediate release of Israeli hostages and condemning the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel.

The UAE Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh said the resolution may not be perfect, but it clearly stated "fundamental principles" that the Council “is obliged to strengthen and respect.”

Brazilian Ambassador Sérgio França Danese said the failure of the resolution was “very sad " and that the Council's silence and inaction served no one's interests, especially the Palestinians in Gaza, who, she said, "cannot wait any longer." . »

The United States was the only one to vote no, but as holder of a permanent seat on the Council, its vote carried a veto. Two other permanent members, Russia and Britain, abstained, and the other two – France and China – joined the 10 other Council members, including the United Arab Emirates, in voting in favor of the 'adoption.

A day earlier, a Russian resolution on the war that condemned violence against civilians but did not mention Hamas failed to garner support nine votes required.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador, said the latest resolution, which would have been legally binding, could hamper diplomatic efforts of President Biden. She was speaking on the eve of her whirlwind visit to Israel. At the Council, she said the United States “is disappointed that this resolution makes no mention of Israel’s right to self-defense.”

The Security Council has struggled to respond to the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 people and left nearly 200 others as hostages. Israel responded with retaliatory strikes on Gaza, killing more than 3,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 9,000, including nearly 1,000 children, according to the UN.

The Israeli ambassador, Gilad Erdan, and the Palestinian representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, both declared that the council had failed.

Mr. Erdan said he did not understand how the Council could not collectively condemn the Hamas terrorist attacks. “Calling for calm, restraint and a ceasefire is like putting a bandage on a gunshot wound,” he said. “Such measures would not eradicate the cancer that is Hamas. »

Mr. Mansour called on the Council to demand an immediate ceasefire. “The United Nations Security Council is incapable of saying the only thing that really matters: ending the bloodshed,” he said.

The UN special coordinator for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process said the organization was engaging with all parties to open a humanitarian channel from the Rafah border in Egypt where convoys carrying aid are lined up.

“I fear that we are on the brink of a deep and dangerous abyss that could change the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and indeed the Middle East as a whole. together," said head Tor Wennesland.