US vetoes UN resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza

The US on Friday (local time) vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The resolution was put forward by the United Arab Emirates and backed by over 90 member states. 13 members of the UNSC voted in favour of the resolution, while the UK abstained from voting. The US Deputy Representative at the UN, Robert Wood, stressed that the resolution is “divorced from reality” and “would not have moved the needle forward on the ground.” He said, “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.” Robert Wood said the US could not understand why the authors of the resolution did not include language condemning Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. He said that he had earlier explained why 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. He 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.” “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 violenc