The US has vetoed a new UN resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza

This Tuesday at the UN Security Council, the United States vetoed a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza – an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be respected by all parties. The vote on the text submitted by Algeria resulted in 13 votes in favour, one abstention (the United Kingdom) and the United States voting against.

It is the third time that Israel’s ally Washington has vetoed a resolution on Gaza, where Israeli strikes have killed more than 29,000 people in the Palestinian territory since October 7, when Hamas attacks killed about 1,200 people in Israeli communities. They went. Where Islamic terrorists kidnapped more than 200 people.

US Ambassador to the UN Thomas-Greenfield said her delegation was presenting a separate proposal that would aim for a temporary ceasefire based on a formula for the release of all hostages. According to the Reuters news agency, which had access to the draft, the text of the resolution proposed by Joe Biden’s government assures that a ground offensive in Rafah, on the southern edge of Gaza, is “infeasible under the current circumstances” and points out “the potential for civilian casualties.” Loss.” This text, also confirmed by the Associated Press agency, ensures that compliance with the requirements established in the resolution “will contribute to creating the conditions necessary for a permanent cessation of hostilities.”

Thomas-Greenfield also justified her vote as “jeopardizing the delicate negotiations” underway, in which the US, Egypt and Qatar participate as mediators. He said, “We believe that this (Algerian) proposal could have a negative impact on these negotiations (…) and prolong the fighting between Hamas and Israel.”

Following the vote at the UN Security Council in New York, Amnesty International’s Erica Guevara Rosas expressed regret over the US veto in an online press conference. “The US has turned its veto capability into a weapon,” said the NGO’s director of research, defence, policies and campaigns. Similarly, he has accused Washington of “continued complicity in crimes” being committed by Israel in Gaza, where Amnesty has assured that its forces are violating international humanitarian law.

For his part, the Chinese ambassador, Zhang Jun, said that the outcome of today’s vote shows that there is consensus in the Security Council on the ceasefire in Gaza: “It is not that the Security Council does not offer overwhelming consensus, but the United States The US veto itself cancels that consensus.”

Since the war in Gaza began more than four months ago, Washington has already vetoed three resolutions to end it: the first was presented by Brazil on October 18, and the first by Israel for a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza. ” was asked for; Another similar resolution presented by the United Arab Emirates on 8 December demanded an immediate ceasefire.