US vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire

The United States has vetoed a solution astatine nan United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire successful nan Gaza Strip, arsenic Israel’s bombardment of nan Palestinian territory continues.

The US voted down nan measurement connected Wednesday greeting while nan 14 different members of nan assembly voted successful favour.

While nan solution called for nan merchandise of captives held successful Gaza, Washington had voiced guidance to its request for an “unconditional” ceasefire.

“We made clear passim negotiations that we could not support an unconditional ceasefire that grounded to merchandise nan hostages,” Robert Wood, nan lawman US envoy to nan UN, said during nan convention successful New York.

“A durable extremity to nan warfare must travel pinch nan merchandise of nan hostages. These 2 urgent goals are inextricably linked. This solution abandoned that necessity, and for that reason, nan United States could not support it.”

This is nan 4th clip that US President Joe Biden’s management has vetoed a resolution calling for an extremity to nan warfare successful Gaza since Israel’s subject violative began successful October of past year.

To date, astir 44,000 Palestinians person been killed successful nan Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which has besides plunged nan coastal territory into a humanitarian crisis.

Biden – a staunch protagonist of Israel – has faced widespread condemnation from authorities advocates for his administration’s stance, including its refusal to information its assistance to nan apical US state amid nan war.

The US provides Israel pinch astatine slightest $3.8bn successful subject assistance annually, and nan Biden management has authorised $14bn successful further assistance to nan state since nan conflict successful Gaza began.

Beth Miller, governmental head astatine nan US-based defense group Jewish Voice for Peace, called nan US veto connected Wednesday “pathetic” and said nan Biden administration’s legacy will beryllium nan genocide successful Gaza.

“That truth that they proceed to parrot complete and complete again that they’re ‘working tirelessly’ for a ceasefire while simultaneously blocking efforts to scope a ceasefire and sending lethal weapons to nan Israeli authorities … is simply a sick joke,” Miller told Al Jazeera.

Reporting from UN office successful New York, Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo said “clearly nan United States is connected an land by itself”.

“It’s worthy repeating that this draught solution was nan merchandise of weeks of negotiations,” Elizondo reported, adding that location is “clear vexation among nan Security Council that there’s been inaction connected Gaza”.

‘Attempt to annihilate’

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon thanked nan US for utilizing its veto, saying the Biden administration was “standing connected nan broadside of morality and justice” by “refusing to wantonness nan hostages”.

“The matter ignored nan suffering of nan 101 guiltless hostages still held by Hamas successful Gaza,” Danon said.

But Majed Bamya, nan State of Palestine’s lawman UN envoy, stressed during Wednesday morning’s Security Council convention that a ceasefire would let each lives to beryllium saved.

“This was existent a twelvemonth ago; this is moreover much existent today. A ceasefire doesn’t resoluteness everything but it is nan first measurement towards resolving anything,” Bamya said.

“The world should not turn accustomed to nan decease of Palestinians, to seeing Palestinian children starving, to seeing mothers carrying their children from 1 spot to another, forcibly displaced,” he said.

“The truth we are Palestinians does not make that little shocking aliases little outrageous. Maybe for immoderate we person nan incorrect nationality, nan incorrect faith, nan incorrect tegument colour — but we are humans and we should beryllium treated arsenic such.”

Bamya added that nan world is watching an “attempt to annihilate a nation” while nan devices “designed to respond to these situations are not being used”.

“Are Palestinian lives not worthy saving, aliases does Israel person a licence to kill? Can this assembly only adopt resolutions and past witnesser their blatant breach? This self-inflicted powerlessness has to stop.”

Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s UN envoy, besides voiced vexation connected Wednesday complete nan US blocking nan resolution.

“There were important concessions during negotiations, yet 1 personnel chose to artifact immoderate action — immoderate action — from this council,” Bendjama told nan council.

“Today’s connection is clear, to nan Israeli occupying powerfulness first: ‘You whitethorn proceed your genocide, you whitethorn proceed your corporate reward of nan Palestinian group pinch complete impunity. In this chamber, you bask immunity’.”