Us veto not calls to ceasefire for the sixth time

For the sixth time, the United States has opposed a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council which would have required an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages.

The American deputy envoy of the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, said that the text was not going far enough to condemn Hamas or recognize the right of Israel to defend itself.

The other 14 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the draft resolution – which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and called Israel to raise all the aid restrictions.

It occurs while the UN humanitarian office warns that the last lifes of civilians collapse in the city of Gaza while Israel widens its military offensive.

On the world stage, Israel and its closest ally seem to be increasingly isolated.

Speaking before the vote, Ortagus said that Washington’s opposition to resolution should “not surprise”.

“He does not condemn Hamas or does not recognize the right of Israel to defend himself, and this wrongly legitimizes false stories benefiting in Hamas, which unfortunately found a currency in this council,” she said.

After the vote, UN members reacted quickly to express their disappointment.

The Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour described the United States’s decision “deeply regrettable and painful”, saying that she had prevented the Security Council from “playing her legitimate role in the face of these atrocities”.

Pakistan Ambassador Asim Ahmad described the veto as “a dark moment in this room”.

“The world is looking at. Children’s cries should unravel our hearts,” he said.

Amar Bendjama, Ambassador of Algeria, apologized to the Palestinian people.

“The Palestinian brothers, the Palestinian sisters, forgive us,” he said.

“Forgive us, because the world talks about rights, but denies them to the Palestinians. Forgive us because our efforts, our sincere efforts, have broken against this wall of rejection.”

This last UN vote intervened a few days before the world leaders met for the United Nations General Assembly where Gaza will be a major subject and the main American allies, including the United Kingdom, should recognize an independent Palestinian state.

In Gaza, thousands of people continue to flee the region in the midst of deadly attacks in progress while Israeli tanks and troops continue to advance the third day of an offensive on the ground.

Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, told BBC that the situation in Gaza City was “nothing less than cataclysmic”.

The Israeli army launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas against southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 65,141 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Ministry of Health of the Territory.

The ministry says that 435 other people have died so far during the war due to malnutrition and famine, including four in the past 24 hours.