US Blocks UN Cease-fire Resolution for Gaza “`

The United States exercised its veto power on Wednesday, blocking a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S. cited the resolution’s lack of a simultaneous demand for the release of hostages held by Hamas militants in Israel since October 2023 as the reason for its veto.

The resolution garnered overwhelming support, with 14 of the 15 council members voting in favor, including key U.S. allies like Britain and France. However, the U.S. veto rendered it ineffective.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood explained that the U.S. had actively sought to avoid a veto, engaging in weeks of negotiations. He expressed disappointment that proposed compromise language was not accepted.

Wood stated that the U.S. could not support an unconditional ceasefire without the simultaneous release of the hostages. He argued that an unconditional ceasefire would be interpreted by Hamas as a validation of their actions, potentially emboldening them. He highlighted that over 100 hostages from more than 20 member states had been held captive for 410 days.

The resolution demanded an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire from all parties and reiterated the demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Palestinian Deputy U.N. Ambassador Majed Bamya expressed strong disappointment and anger at the veto, highlighting the widespread frustration with the Security Council’s inability to end the 13-month conflict that has resulted in over 43,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Gaza health ministry, and widespread devastation in Gaza.

Bamya argued that the lack of a ceasefire allows Israel to continue its assault on the Palestinian people and land, emphasizing that a ceasefire would save lives. He poignantly questioned the disparity between the right to inflict violence and the right to survive, describing the situation as an attempt to annihilate a nation.

He declared to the council members: “You are witnessing the attempt to annihilate a nation, destroy a nation.”

In contrast, Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon asserted that the resolution was not conducive to peace but rather a pathway to increased terror, suffering, and bloodshed. He thanked the U.S. for its veto, praising its stance on morality, justice, and its refusal to abandon the hostages and their families. He attributed the conflict to Hamas and stated that Gaza’s future lies in the absence of the militant group.

Hamas strongly condemned the veto, accusing the U.S. of direct involvement in the aggression against the Palestinian people, characterizing the U.S. as an accomplice in the killing of civilians and the destruction of Gaza. They urged the U.S. to alter its policies, referencing President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to end the war in Gaza.

The Security Council has previously adopted several resolutions on Gaza, including calls for ceasefires and humanitarian access. The U.S., Russia, and China have previously vetoed resolutions related to the conflict.

In June, the council adopted a resolution aimed at ending the war, welcoming a ceasefire proposal by President Joe Biden that the U.S. claimed Israel had accepted. The resolution called on Hamas to accept a three-phase plan, however the war continued.

The Palestinian deputy ambassador blamed Israel for the ongoing conflict, stating that Israel never intended to accept a ceasefire.

The 10 elected council members issued a statement, read by Guyana’s U.N. ambassador, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, expressing their support for the June resolution and their expectation of a swift ceasefire agreement. However, months later they determined that a stronger resolution demanding an unconditional ceasefire was needed.

Despite the U.S. veto, the elected members reiterated their demands for an immediate end to the war, the immediate release of hostages, the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Gaza, and the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

They affirmed their commitment to ending the hostilities.

Algeria’s U.N. ambassador, Amar Bendjama, representing Arab states on the council, interpreted the veto as granting Israel impunity to continue its actions, but vowed that the elected members would soon introduce an even stronger, militarily enforceable resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, and would persist until the council acts.

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Matthew Lee in Washington and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.