t’s no. Again. The UN Security Council again came up against a US veto on the Gaza issue on Thursday . Washington blocked a resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent” ceasefire and the lifting of restrictions preventing the arrival of humanitarian aid in the Palestinian enclave.
The text, which also called for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages, received support from 14 of the 15 members of the Council. On Tuesday, an independent international commission of inquiry, which did not speak on behalf of the UN, nevertheless went a step further by accusing Israel of carrying out a “genocide” in Gaza aimed at “destroying” the Palestinian people.
A dark moment for this Council
This new blockade has sparked strong reactions. It is “a dark moment for this Council,” declared Pakistani Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, calling for collective awareness of the suffering of civilians. “The cries of children should pierce our hearts, the anguish of mothers should shake our conscience,” he insisted.
His Algerian counterpart, Amar Bendjama, addressed the people of Gaza directly: “Forgive us because this Council could not save your children. Forgive us because the world talks about rights but denies you, Palestinians
A text worthy of a “capitulation”
The resolution had been in preparation since late August, after the UN officially acknowledged the existence of a famine in Gaza. The first draft of the text focused solely on humanitarian access, but several countries, including France, the United Kingdom , and Russia , had expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the text, which they deemed too limited and was bound to be rejected by the United States anyway. The final draft, rejected Thursday, therefore combined several components: humanitarian aid, a ceasefire, and the release of hostages.
Washington justified its veto by claiming that the resolution “fails to recognize the reality on the ground” and by highlighting the lack of explicit condemnation of Hamas. For Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, this text was not a matter of diplomacy but of “capitulation.”
A “generation risks being lost”
Before the vote, Danish Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen explained that the move was intended to send “a message that the Security Council does not turn its back on starving civilians, hostages, and the demand for a ceasefire.” She warned that “a generation risks being lost, not just to war, but also to hunger and despair.”
Israel is under increasing international pressure to end the conflict triggered by Hamas ‘s attack on its territory on October 7, 2023. The issue will be a central focus of discussions at the annual UN summit, which will be held next week in
New York .
