Text was presented by 10 members of the Security Council; North Americans have veto power
The United States vetoed on Wednesday (November 20, 2024) a resolution from the UN Security Council (United Nations) for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The text had been presented by 10 members.
“A lasting end to the war must come with the release of the hostages. These two urgent goals are inextricably linked. This resolution abandoned that need and for this reason the United States could not support it”, said Robert Wood, deputy US ambassador to the UN, quoted by the agency.
The resolution was presented by Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland. The countries called for the release of the hostages, but did not link the request to the ceasefire.
According to Wood, the text of the proposed resolution would have sent a “dangerous message” to Hamas that “no need to return to the negotiating table”.
Vanessa Frazier, Malta’s ambassador to the UN, said she was “deeply regrettable” that the US has used its veto power and, therefore, the council “has once again failed to uphold its responsibility to maintain international peace and security”.
The UN Security Council has been criticized for failing to end wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. One of the critics is the president (PT).
On Wednesday (Nov 20), he called for a reform of global governance and the democratic international system. He asked that it be “fairer, more equitable and environmentally sustainable”.
In Rio, G20 countries. Although the final document does not mention the end of the veto power of the 5 permanent members (United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom), emerging countries achieved a victory by including the word “commitment” in changes to the United Nations body.
The G20 Leaders’ Summit went through long discussions and reached a consensus on the final declaration. The text gave greater weight to the war in Gaza than the conflict in Ukraine and did not condemn Israel and Russia.
The declaration demands the end of barriers to the provision of humanitarian aid in Gaza and a ceasefire in the region. He also defends the creation of the Palestinian State as a solution to tensions in the Middle East. Here is it (PDF – 2 MB).
“While expressing our deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the escalation in Lebanon, we emphasize the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance and strengthen the protection of civilians and demand the lifting of all barriers to provision of large-scale humanitarian assistance”, says the text.
The absence of mention of Israel serves the interests of the United States, allies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. If the country were mentioned, there could be a North American veto on the text. The mention of the humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinian population was a requirement from Brazil, which had the support of other emerging countries.
