US Vetos UN Security Council Resolution Calling For Ceasefire in Gaza
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
NEW YORK (Worthy News) – The United States on Wednesday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza because it was not linked to the immediate release of hostages.
Fourteen of the Security Council’s 15 members, including U.S. allies Britain and France, voted “yes,” but the veto doomed the vote.
The U.S. voted against it, saying the resolution overlooked those taken captive by Hamas fighters in Israel on October 7, 2023.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said the United States worked for weeks to avoid vetoing the resolution sponsored by the council’s 10 elected members and expressed regret that compromise language was not accepted.
“We made clear throughout negotiations we could not support an unconditional cease-fire that failed to release the hostages,” he said.
“Hamas would have seen it as a vindication of its cynical strategy to hope and pray the international community forgets about the fate of more than 100 hostages from more than 20 member states who have been held for 410 days.”
The resolution does call for the release of all hostages, but observers said the wording suggests that their release would come only after a cease-fire.
FOUTH VETO
The veto was the fourth time the United States blocked an effort by the Council to demand a cease-fire since the war began over a year ago.
The armed conflict was triggered by Hamas attacking Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 200 people hostage in the worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust, or Shoah.
More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza throughout the war, according to the Hamas-run health authorities, but those figures have been
difficult to verify independently.
Israel says nearly half of those killed in Israeli strikes are Hamas fighters, often hiding among civilians.
United Nations officials have warned that the territory “faces the risk of famine” unless a ceasefire is implemented.
Israel says it allows humanitarian aid to enter Gaza but that many packages have been taken by Hamas or sold for high prices at markets.
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