2024-02-20 16:05:32
The United States vetoed this Tuesday a draft UN Security Council resolution that called for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, the country’s third blockade of such an initiative since the start of the war between its ally Israel. and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
“We cannot support a resolution that would jeopardize delicate negotiations” to reach a truce, declared Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The resolution had 13 votes in favor, one abstention from the United Kingdom and one vote against from the United States, but it did not go ahead as the United States had the right to veto due to its status as a permanent member (along with Russia, China, France and United Kingdom).
Related topics
The initiative, presented by Algeria, demanded “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be respected by all parties.”
The draft also warned about the forced displacement of Palestinians and called for the release of all hostages. “The Security Council cannot afford to be passive in the face of the call for a ceasefire in Gaza,” declared Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s envoy to the UN, before Tuesday’s vote.
The United States blocked the resolution after arguing that it would interfere with the efforts of President Joe Biden and his Qatari and Egyptian counterparts to negotiate an agreement that would allow the release of hostages held by Hamas and boost the delivery of aid to Gaza. Although the negotiations, according to Qatar, have stalled.
(Also read: Why is Europe enlisting militarily in the face of the risk of war with Russia?)
Instead, the United States confirmed this Tuesday that it is preparing its own resolution in the Security Council on the war in Gaza, in which for the first time it will ask for a “ceasefire”, although it specified that it will be “temporary” and with conditions.
Specifically, this ceasefire will be called “when practicable” and will be “based on the formula that all hostages (in the hands of Hamas) are released,” according to the US ambassador.
In the resolution that Washington is preparing – and which does not yet have a voting date – Thomas-Greenfield specified that it will include a condemnation of Hamas, because “it is time for this Council to condemn Hamas.”
(Also: Arrival of migrants to the US is reduced: Colombia and Venezuela, the ones with the greatest drop)
But he sent two messages that reflect the concerns of the Palestinians: one, that he “rejects any forced displacement of civilians in Gaza” and that “there can be no reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip,” as some voices within Israel have argued. .
And regarding the offensive that Israel is currently preparing against Rafah, the last Gaza city that has not yet been invaded and where 1.7 million Palestinians are crowded, Thomas-Greenfield said that “under the current circumstances, a new armed assault of large proportions should not be carried out”, in a new call to attention to his Hebrew partner.
Thus, the US text warns that a ground offensive in the area would cause “further damage to civilians and their subsequent displacement, potentially even to neighboring countries, which would have serious implications for regional peace and security,” according to a revised draft. by Bloomberg News.
The text also condemns calls by Israeli ministers for the resettlement of Palestinians, rejects “any attempt at demographic or territorial change in Gaza” and supports a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
The United States veto this Tuesday was already criticized by Russia and China, the two great powers that also sit on the Security Council, and which once again highlighted the consequences that the US veto has on the region and on the same UN.
Russian Ambassador Vasili Nebenzia said that with this third veto introduced, “the United States demonstrates again and again its contempt for international institutions, multilateral diplomacy and international legality,” and this makes “the authority of the Security Council of the UN is called into question”.
(You can read: Who is Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the opponent Alexei Navalny who challenges Putin?)
The Chinese representative, Zhang Jun, said for his part: “The American thesis that the Council resolution (of this Tuesday, February 20) interferes in diplomatic efforts is totally unacceptable. Given the situation on the ground, the constant passivity on “The ceasefire is no different from giving the green light to continue the massacre,” he said, and warned that this inaction only “leads the region into a broader war.”
INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL
1708452253
#vetoes #Security #Council #resolution #calling #ceasefire #Gaza