International pressure and the efforts of the UN Secretary General, António Guterreshave failed to convince the United States, which has vetoed for the second time since October 7 a UN Security Council resolution demanding an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.
The draft resolution, invoked by the United Arab Emirates and supported by dozens of countries, had gone through multiple changes in the last few hours to try to achieve its approval. The final text was modified to establish that both “Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law” and demand the immediate release of the hostages held by Hamas.
The resolution required at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the five permanent members: the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France. The text received cast votes in favorthe American refusal and the abstention of the United Kingdom.
“After 63 days of war, there is nothing left to say, only to act,” said the deputy permanent representative of the UAE, Mohamed Issa Abushahab, the country that proposed the resolution. The Israeli offensive in Gaza has left more than 17,000 Palestinians dead and more than a million displacedwhile the Hamas attack caused the death of 1,100 Israelis.
Washington vetoed the resolution because it believes, like Israel, that a ceasefire could benefit Hamas militants on the ground. The US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, noted that the text was “divorced from reality.” “We do not support this resolution’s call for an unsustainable ceasefire that will only plant the seeds for the next war,” he said.