US vetoes UN Gaza ceasefire bid, draws global criticism

New Straits Times

2 days ago

UNITED NATIONS, United States: UN Security Council members criticised the United States Wednesday after it vetoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza, which Washington said undermined ongoing diplomacy.
It was the 15-member body's first vote on the situation since November, when the United States – a key Israeli ally – also blocked a text calling for an end to fighting.
"This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground and emboldens Hamas," Washington's United Nations envoy Dorothy Shea said ahead of Wednesday's 14 to 1 vote, with the US casting the lone vote against.
"This resolution also draws false equivalence between Israel and Hamas," she said.
The draft resolution had demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties."
It also called for the "immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups."
Underlining a "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in the Palestinian territory, the resolution, had it passed, would have demanded the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
"This will remain not only a moral stain on the conscience of this council, but a fateful moment of political application that will reverberate for generations," said Pakistan's ambassador to the UN Asim Ahmad.
China's ambassador to the UN Fu Cong said "today's vote result once again exposes that the root cause of the council's inability to quell the conflict in Gaza is the repeated obstruction by the US."
The veto marks Washington's first such action since US President Donald Trump took office in January.
Israel has faced growing international pressure to end its war in Gaza, which was triggered by the unprecedented Oct 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israeli soil.
That scrutiny has increased over flailing aid distribution in Gaza, which Israel blocked for more than two months before allowing a small number of UN vehicles to enter in mid-May.
The United Nations said that was not enough to meet the humanitarian needs.
A US-backed relief effort called the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) has also faced criticism for going against long-standing humanitarian principles by coordinating relief efforts with a military belligerent.
Israeli bombardment on Wednesday killed at least 16 people in the Gaza Strip, including 12 in a single strike on a tent housing displaced people, the Palestinian territory's civil defence agency told AFP.
On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.
"The Council was prevented from shouldering its responsibility, despite the fact that most of us seem to be converging on one view," said France's ambassador to the UN Jerome Bonnafont.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, said after the vote he would now seek a vote on the resolution calling for a ceasefire at the General Assembly.
"We are grateful for your demonstrations and tenacity in the Security Council demanding action, and we also support you in continuing to knock on the door of the Security Council to shoulder its responsibility," he said, thanking the 14 countries that backed the resolution.
Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that the Palestinian plan to put the resolution to a vote at the General Assembly, where no country can veto it, was pointless, telling countries "don't waste more of your energy."
"This resolution doesn't advance humanitarian relief and undermines it. It ignores a working system in favour of political agendas," he said.--AFP