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A defining moment for the United Nations: The U.S. veto the ceasefire resolution in Gaza
FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the United Nations before a meeting about the conflict in Gaza, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S., November 6, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs//File Photo
On Friday the ceasefire resolution in Gaza was vetoed by the United States marking a defining moment for the United Nations. The organisation which is built around pillars of peace, security, human rights, rule of law, and development, appears obsolete in ensuring the security and rights of the people of Gaza.
The ceasefire resolution was vetoed by the United States against the positive vote of 13 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council. This resolution had the support of more than 80 other countries.
According to Sky News, all members were aware of the intention of the United States as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to veto the ceasefire resolution and considered it as a fact. A fact that was unfortunate for some members.
Nicolas de Riviere, France’s ambassador to the United Nations, told Sky News: “The failure of a resolution due to a veto is the failure of the UN Security Council.”
As last night’s UN vote showed, Israel still enjoys the support of its most powerful allies, the United States and Britain. Britain abstained from voting on this resolution.
Finally, at 3:45 p.m. New York time, the result of the vote was vetoed by the United States.
The representative of the United States stated that the reason for the veto from his respective government was to prevent the occurrence of war in the future.
He said: “We support lasting peace, while Hamas does not want to reach such conditions, and the ceasefire will only sow the seeds of the next war and benefit Hamas.”
Sky News wrote that the main goal of Israel’s ground attack in southern Gaza is to target Hamas leadership: “They believe Hamas leaders are hiding around Khan Yunis, most likely in a vast tunnel system.”
It is hard for Israelis to imagine that Yahya Sinwar and Mohammad Zaif are still alive and free and may leave Gaza.
It appears that the United Nations is unable to implement any of its basic principles, through a voting process.
Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the U.N., started the voting session for the ceasefire by talking about the people of Gaza and the hunger and helplessness they face.
He made his remarks following the activation of Article 99 of the United Nations Charter, a mechanism for dealing with any threat to international peace and security that has not been used for decades.
The head of the United Nations has warned several times about the suffering that civilians in Gaza are forced to endure. He was trying to influence the Security Council with his speeches, but in the end, he could not make an impact on the outcome of the Council meeting.
