The United States vetoed this Wednesday for the fourth time since the war in Gaza began a UN Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution, presented by the ten non-permanent members of the Council in a rare display of multilateral consensus, garnered fourteen votes in favor, but will not go forward due to the veto power of the United States as a permanent member.
The text also included demands specifically directed at Israel to allow unrestricted access for humanitarian aid in Gaza and the rejection of “any attempt to starve the Palestinians.” In addition, it includes a proclamation of UNRWA (UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees) as a pillar of the humanitarian effort in Gaza, at a time when a practical ‘de facto’ ban on its activities by Israel is approaching.
The text has been negotiated for several weeks, as Guyana’s ambassador, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, made clear today, noting that the language has been carefully drafted to accommodate the wishes of all countries, and, although she did not say so, sources Diplomats indicated that the changes have been introduced to make the text acceptable to the United States and thus circumvent its veto, which was ultimately not possible.
The US justifies it in that it did not condition the release of hostages, it only mentioned it
The US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, justified his country’s opposition because the resolution did not condition the ceasefire on the immediate release of the 101 hostages still held by Hamas, since although it mentions that release, it does not link it with the ceasefire. And he added that the resolution also does not explicitly condemn the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, which marked the beginning of the war.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, anticipating the vote, told reporters that such a resolution “would be nothing more than a betrayal, a betrayal of the 101 hostages still held by Hamas, their families and the mere principles that the UN claims to defend”.
Such a text “will send a message to terrorists that they can act with impunity, it tells Hamas and other terrorists that they can murder, rape and kidnap innocent people and the international community will reward them for it.”
Iran responds: “License granted by the US to the occupying regime [Israel] to continue their carnage”
Iran described yesterday’s veto by the United States of a UN Security Council resolution that called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza as “shameful” and a gesture of complicity.
“This shameful veto not only marks another failure of the United Nations Security Council to uphold its mandate, but also serves as a license granted by the United States to the occupying regime (Israel) to continue its carnage in Gaza and Lebanon. with impunity,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said in X.
The diplomat stated that the US veto, the fourth since the conflict began, violates international law and the Genocide Convention, in addition to being a gesture of “complicity in the atrocious crimes” in Gaza. Baghaei also indicated that it shows “his total disregard for innocent lives and regional peace.”
