UN Security Council
US blocks resolution for ceasefire in Gaza again
The USA has repeatedly protected its ally Israel in the UN Security Council. This also applies to the latest attempt to increase pressure for a ceasefire. The frustration in the committee is great.
The United States has once again blocked the adoption of an internationally binding UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The American deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, vetoed a corresponding resolution in the United Nations Security Council in New York. All other members of the 15-member council vote in favor.
The text was submitted by all ten non-permanent members of the United Nations’ most powerful body. After weeks of negotiations and changes at the request of Israel’s ally the USA, there was ultimately disagreement over one wording in particular: The draft stated that the Security Council “demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, which must be respected by all parties; further reiterates his demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages”.
The US was bothered by the fact that the two demands were not linked – that is, that the ceasefire was not tied to the condition of the release of the Israeli hostages. Behind the scenes, leading diplomats in the Security Council have recently shown increasing frustration with Washington, which they say is unwilling to increase pressure on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
US Ambassador Wood defended the US position: “This resolution would have been a dangerous signal to Hamas that there was no reason to return to the negotiating table.” It is not Israel that stands in the way of a solution to the conflict, but rather the Islamist Hamas.
Low point in the Security Council
The vote despite the certain veto of the USA is also seen as a measure to make the Americans’ position public. “No matter how hard we tried, today’s US veto is inevitable,” one diplomat said before the vote. The mood in the UN Security Council has long been considered bad, also because of Russia’s constant blockade in the Ukraine conflict. However, ambassadors report that a new low has been reached in the past few weeks.
The US has blocked a number of draft resolutions since Hamas’ terror attack on Israel more than a year ago and the devastating war in Gaza that followed. The US exercised at least four vetoes on ceasefires alone. Only the permanent members USA, Russia, China, France and Great Britain have a right of veto.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
