The US vetoed a UNSC resolution on Gaza demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

New York: Amid the ongoing war, the United States on Friday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza that called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The resolution, put forward by the United Arab Emirates, received backing from 90 member states. Notably, UNSC members voted in favour of the resolution; however, the United Kingdom abstained from voting. During the meeting, Robert Wood, US Deputy Representative at the UN, stated that the resolution is “divorced from reality” and “would not have moved the needle forward on the ground.”

“Unfortunately, nearly all of our recommendations were ignored. And the result of this rushed process was an imbalanced resolution that was divorced from reality and that would not move the needle forward on the ground in any concrete way. And so, we regretfully could not support it,” Wood said.

Putting United States stand, Wood stated that the US is not able to understand why authors of the resolution did not condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. Reiterating his earlier remarks, he stated that an unconditional ceasefire would simply be “dangerous” and leave Hamas in place, able to attack again.

“Perhaps most unrealistically, this resolution retains a call for an unconditional ceasefire. I explained in my remarks this morning why this is not only unrealistic but dangerous: it would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on October 7,” Wood said.

“We still cannot comprehend why the resolution’s authors declined to include language condemning Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. An attack that killed over 1,200 people. Women, children, the elderly. People from a range of nationalities. Burned alive. Gunned down. Subject to obscene sexual violence,” he added.

“We are very disappointed that for the victims of these heinous acts, the resolution’s authors offered neither their condolences nor condemnation of their murderers. It’s unfathomable. Nor is there condemnation of the sexual violence unleashed by Hamas on October 7,” he added.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UK to the UN, Barbara Woodward, clarified the UK’s abstention from the draft resolution, stating that her country could not support a resolution that does not condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians on October 7.

“Calling for a ceasefire ignores the fact that Hamas has committed acts of terror and is still holding civilians hostage,” Woodward said.  She noted that Israel needs to be able to address the threat posed by Hamas militants and needs to take action but in a manner that abides by international humanitarian law.

Earlier, Robert Wood clarified US stand on the ceasefire, stating that the country does not support immediate ceasefire in Gaza as it “would only plant the seeds for the next war.”

“An undeniable part of that reality is that if Israel unilaterally laid down its weapons today, as some Member States have called for, Hamas would continue to hold hostages,” Wood said in his remarks at the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East.

“And as of today, Hamas continues to pose a threat to Israel and remain in charge of Gaza. That is not a threat that any one of our governments would allow to continue to remain on our own borders. Not after the worst attack on our people in several decades,” He said.

“For that reason, while the United States strongly supports a durable peace in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate ceasefire. This would only plant the seeds for the next war – because Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace or a two-state solution,” he added.

Wood criticized the UN Security Council’s failure to condemn Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, including acts of sexual violence and other atrocities, labeling it as “a serious moral failure.” He underscored that this decision highlights a “fundamental disconnect between the discussions that we have been having in this Chamber and the realities on the ground.”

Simultaneously, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his condemnation of Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7. Guterres expressed being “appalled” by the reports of sexual violence.

“There is no possible justification for deliberately killing some 1,200 people, including 33 children, injuring thousands more, and taking hundreds of hostages,” he said, adding “at the same time, the brutality perpetrated by Hamas can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”

Guterres said, “While indiscriminate rocket fire by Hamas into Israel, and the use of civilians as human shields, are in contravention of the laws of war, such conduct does not absolve Israel of its own violations.” He called on the international community to do “everything possible” to end their ordeal.

Antonio Guterres said, “I urge the Council to spare no effort to push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, for the protection of civilians, and for the urgent delivery of lifesaving aid.”