US vetoes UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire resolution over failure to condemn Hamas

The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that it described as “unacceptable” due to its failure to condemn the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. The UNSC is widely regarded as the most powerful body within the United Nations.

“Colleagues, US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise,” USUN Counselor Morgan Ortagus stated ahead of the vote.

“It fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council,” Ortagus argued.

She emphasized that other UNSC member states had disregarded Washington’s warnings about the “unacceptable” anti-Israel wording and instead pursued “performative action designed to draw a veto.”

Like Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom, the U.S. has a veto right as a permanent member of the UNSC. All the remaining 14 UNSC member states voted in favor of the resolution, describing the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and overwhelmingly blaming Israel for the war in Gaza.

The war was launched on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists and their allies invaded and killed 1,200 Israelis on the southern border. The terrorists also kidnapped 251 people from Israel and still hold 48 Israeli hostages captive, including 20 who are reportedly still alive.

The U.S. lamented the fact that the resolution highlighted the “deepening of suffering” in the Gaza Strip without assigning any responsibility to Hamas. Washington has long accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, obstructing evacuations, and seizing or disrupting humanitarian aid deliveries.

The United Nations has a long history of anti-Israel bias. Since 2015 specifically, the UN has passed more resolutions against Israel than any other country and, in recent years, more resolutions than all other countries combined, including states widely cited for human rights abuses such as Syria, Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea.

recently against all other countries combined, including major human rights violators such as Syria, Iran, China, Russia and North Korea.

The UN investigatory committee recently published a politicized report that falsely accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. This is only the latest of multiple international anti-Israel reports that fuel the global antisemitism and demonization of the nation and the right to defend itself against enemies that openly call for the murder of all Jews.

Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Authority envoy to the United Nations, responded to the blocked UN Security Council resolution.

“I can understand the anger and frustration and disappointment of the Palestinian people who might be watching this session of the Security Council, hoping that there is some help in the pipeline, and this nightmare could be brought to an end,” Mansour stated.

“I can imagine the anger and frustration that it did not happen,” he added, while failing to condemn Hamas.

Algerian Ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama praised the 14 UNSC member states that voted for the resolution that Washington vetoed.

“14 courageous members of this Security Council raised their voice. They have acted with conscience and in the cause of the international public opinion,” he stated.

Algeria has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has been among the most vocal opponents of an expansion of normalized relations between the Arab world and the Jewish state.

Approximately 140,000 Jews lived in Algeria in 1962, when the country declared its independence from France. Today, only some 200 Jews remain in Algeria due to widespread antisemitism, anti-Jewish persecution and mass emigration, mostly to France.

Pakistani UN envoy called the veto “a dark moment” in the history of the Security Council.

In contrast, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon thanked Washington, arguing that the resolution would “not release the hostages and will not bring security to the region.”

“Israel will continue to fight Hamas and protect its citizens, even if the Security Council prefers to turn a blind eye to terrorism,” he vowed.