 "US vetoes UN resolution calling for 'immediate' & 'unconditional' Gaza ceasefire. Image: AFP")
The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” and full humanitarian access in Gaza, arguing it would undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, the other 14 countries on the Council voted in favour of the resolution.
“This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground and emboldens Hamas. It also draws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas,” said Washington’s deputy envoy to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, just ahead of the vote.
The vetoed resolution described the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and demanded the immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid, allowing safe and large-scale delivery by the UN and its humanitarian partners.
This marks the fifth time the US has blocked a Security Council ceasefire resolution to shield Israel. In November, the Biden administration vetoed a similar proposal, arguing that it failed to directly link the ceasefire to the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.