The United States vetoed this Wednesday a UN resolution that would have condemned Hamas attacks against Israel and all violence against civilians and would have urged the decree of humanitarian truces so that basic aid can reach the Palestinians in Gaza. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 votes in favor, the United States against and two abstentions.
The United States ambassador to this body, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said after the vote that President Joe Biden is in the region participating in diplomatic activities “and we need that diplomacy to develop.” She also criticized the resolution for saying nothing about Israel's right to self-defense.
Before the vote on the resolution, sponsored by Brazil, which holds the presidency of the Security Council this month, its members rejected two Russian amendments, one calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire” and the other condemning indiscriminate attacks against civilians and “ civilian objects” in Gaza, including hospitals and schools.
The Security Council faces the current crisis in the Middle East in full division, accentuated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its five permanent members with the right to veto (the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain and France) make it difficult to reach a consensus agreement.
