The US last night vetoed a UN Security Council demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, diplomatically isolating Washington as it shields its ally.
Thirteen Security Council members voted in favour of a brief draft resolution, put forward by the UAE, while Britain abstained. The vote came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a rare move on Wednesday to formally warn the 15-member council of a global threat from the two-month-long war.
Washington supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and allow the release of hostages taken by Hamas. A seven-day pause – that saw Hamas release some hostages and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza – ended on December 1.
After several failed attempts to take action, the Security Council last month called for pauses in fighting to allow aid access to Gaza, which Guterres yesterday described as a ‘spiraling humanitarian nightmare’.
However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged on Thursday that there was a “gap” between Israel’s intent to protect civilians and what has happened on the ground.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 17,480 people have been killed.
Israel has bombarded Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground offensive. The vast majority of the Palestinian enclave’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes.
“There is no effective protection of civilians,” Guterres told the council earlier in the day. “The people of Gaza are being told to move like human pinballs – ricocheting between ever-smaller slivers of the south, without any of the basics for survival. But nowhere in Gaza is safe.”
In Washington, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said earlier that if the Security Council failed to adopt the resolution, “it is giving Israel a licence to continue with its massacre of Palestinians in Gaza”.
‘Nowhere is safe in Gaza’ – Pages 12-13
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