AhlulBayt News Agency: The United States has once again vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
On Wednesday, all 14 other Council members voted in favor of the resolution, which was co-sponsored by Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia – collectively known as the E-10.
The draft expressed grave concern over the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza amid a complete Israeli aid blockade. It demanded the “immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions” on aid and unhindered access for U.N. and humanitarian groups into Gaza. Still, Washington claimed the resolution was a “non-starter” because it did not link to the release of Israeli prisoners.
“The United States has taken the very clear position that Israel has the right to defend itself, which includes defeating Hamas,” said Dorothy Shea, acting U.S. ambassador to the U.N., adding that her country’s opposition to the resolution “should come as no surprise.”
Washington has vetoed the Security Council’s request for a Gaza ceasefire multiple times, but this is the first such action since President Donald Trump took office.
China’s permanent representative to the U.N. expressed deep disappointment, saying, “Today’s vote result once again exposes that the root cause of the council's inability to quell the conflict in Gaza is the repeated obstruction by the U.S.”
“The United States has once again abused its veto power, extinguishing the glimmer of hope for the people in Gaza and ruthlessly continuing to leave over 2 million people in darkness. It must face the questioning from the international community,” Fu Cong said.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.N., Asim Ahmad, said the failed resolution would “remain not only a moral stain on the conscience of this council, but a fateful moment of political application that will reverberate for generations.”
“The Council was prevented from shouldering its responsibility, despite the fact that most of us seem to be converging on one view,” said France’s ambassador to the U.N,. Jerome Bonnafont.
The failure of the resolution comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, with U.N. agencies warning of the total collapse of health services, growing displacement, and a rising death toll.
“The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat,” U.N. relief chief Tom Fletcher said earlier on Wednesday.
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