UNITED NATIONS
\nThe United States vetoed on Thursday a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and that Israel lift all restrictions on aid deliveries to the besieged Palestinian enclave, with Pakistan \u201cprofoundly\u201d regretting the exercise of veto against a solely humanitarian text.
\nThe resolution, sponsored by the 10 elected members of the 15-member Council, received 14 votes in favour. It was the sixth time the US had cast a veto in the Council over the nearly two-year Israeli war in Gaza. More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Gaza health authorities.
\nThursday\u2019s negative vote was cast as the Council held its 10,000th meeting against the backdrop of famine and hunger spreading in the besieged enclave and an ongoing Israeli offensive to take full control of Gaza City. The resolution also demanded the release of all hostages held by Hamas and for Israel to lift all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and ensure that it is safely distributed to the population, in particular by UN agencies and partners.
\nThe Council\u2019s 10 non-permanent members, who submitted the draft, are: Pakistan, Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia. The five permanent members \u2013 China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States \u2013 have the right to veto any resolution and all have exercised this power at some time.
\nThursday\u2019s Security Council meeting was presided over by South Korea, which holds the rotating presidency for the month of September. Speaking prior to the vote, US delegate Morgan Ortagus stated that Washington\u2019s opposition to the resolution \u201cwill come as no surprise\u201d as it fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel\u2019s right to defend itself.
\nThe text also \u201cwrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this Council,\u201d she said. \u201cThis resolution also refuses to acknowledge and seeks to return to a failed system that has allowed Hamas to enrich and strengthen itself at the expense of civilians in need.\u201d
\nPakistan\u2019s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad regretted the US action \u201cprofoundly\u201d, saying, \u201cOn the eve of the 80th General Assembly Session and the High-Level week, and 10,000th meeting \u2013 what a dark moment \u2013 in this Chamber?\u201d\u201dWhat prevented the Council from acting was the exercise of the veto,\u201d the Pakistani envoy asserted.
\n\u201cThat carries a heavy responsibility. And that is where the apology must lie,\u201d he said. \u201cIn moments of such grave human suffering, preventing the Council from fulfilling its mandate risks being seen as enabling the continuation of that suffering. Those who have chosen this course must review their position.\u201d
\nHighlighting the plight of the people of Gaza who are trapped between relentless bombardment and a suffocating blockade, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said, \u201cIn that grim setting, today\u2019s failure sends a dangerous message: that the lives of two million besieged Palestinians are deemed expendable and can be subordinated to political considerations.
\n\u201cEvery hour of obstruction deepens the wound \u2014 and aggravates the suffering of the people of Gaza. Each failure compounds the cost \u2013 also for the credibility of this Council,\u201d he added. \u201cThe majority of this Council has acted responsibly \u2014 We have fulfilled our duty under the Charter. The shortcomings lie not with the Council as a whole, but with the constraints imposed on it.\u201d
\nIn this regard, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad pointed out that famine threatens to spread across the Gaza Strip; the Israeli onslaught is now claiming dozens of lives daily and could uproot a million people; the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank exposes the entrenched nature of occupation and its true intentions \u2013 a death knell to the two-state solution. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS The United States vetoed on Thursday a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and that Israel lift all restrictions on aid deliveries to the besieged Palestinian enclave, with Pakistan \u201cprofoundly\u201d regretting the exercise of veto against a solely humanitarian text. The resolution, sponsored by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":503862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-503835","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n