American Veto Against a Security Council Resolution to Cease Fire in Gaza

SadaNews - The United States of America vetoed, this Thursday evening (according to Jerusalem time), a draft resolution presented by the ten non-permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council, which calls for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The draft resolution calls on the Security Council for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, respected by all parties, and for the Israeli government to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza and ensure its distribution - safely and without obstacles - to the populations in need of this assistance, especially by the United Nations and humanitarian action partners.

The draft resolution stipulates that this must happen widely throughout the Gaza Strip, in accordance with international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. It demands that Israel also ensures the full restoration of all essential services.

The draft resolution was presented by the ten non-permanent member states of the Security Council, which are: Pakistan, Panama, Algeria, the Republic of Korea, Denmark, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Guyana, and Greece.

The United States used the veto against the draft resolution, which was supported by 14 of the fifteen council members.

Denmark's Permanent Representative, Kristina Lassen, who spoke on behalf of the countries that submitted the draft resolution, stated, "We represent the will and expectations of the members of the General Assembly who elected us," urging the members of the Security Council to vote in favor of the resolution and uphold the council's responsibility to maintain international peace and security.

She stated that the catastrophic situation in Gaza is what drives us to act today.

The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, who chairs the Security Council this month, pointed out that this meeting marks the 10,000th in the history of the United Nations Security Council.

He noted that the meeting coincides with the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and on the eve of the high-level week of the General Assembly. He called for this to be taken into consideration in efforts to carry out the council's tasks.

In this context, the spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, stated: "We express our regret and astonishment at the American administration's obstruction of the ceasefire resolution in the Gaza Strip once again."