The United States has vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.
The US blocked the resolution Friday backed by almost all other Security Council members and dozens of other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Thirteen of the fifteen Security Council members voted in favour of the draft resolution, put forward by the United Arab Emirates, while the United Kingdom abstained.
The vote came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a rare move on Wednesday to formally warn the 15-member council of a global threat from the two-month-long war.
To be adopted, a resolution needs nine votes in favour and cannot be vetoed by any of the five permanent members of the security council. The council’s permanent members holding veto powers are – China, Russia, the US, the UK and France.
The US and Israel oppose a ceasefire because they believe it would only benefit Hamas. Washington instead supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and allow the release of hostages taken by Hamas in a deadly October 7 attack on Israel.
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“While the US strongly supports a durable peace in which both Israel and Palestine can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate ceasefire. This would only plant the seeds for the next war, because Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace, to see a two-state solution,” said Robert Wood, US deputy ambassador to the UN.
A seven-day pause – that saw Hamas release some hostages and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza – ended on 1 December.
After several failed attempts to take action, the Security Council last month called for pauses in fighting to allow aid access to Gaza, where a “spiralling humanitarian nightmare” is ongoing, according to Mr Guterres.
World leaders, international rights groups and United Nations officials have criticised the United States for vetoing a UN resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and failing to halt the war that has killed more than 17,400 Palestinians and about 1,200 people in Israel since 7 October, according to Al Jazeera.
Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general said: “By vetoing this resolution, the US has displayed a callous disregard for civilian suffering in the face of a staggering death toll, extensive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe happening in the occupied Gaza Strip.”
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