US vetoes UN Security Council's unconditional Gaza ceasefire resolution

The United States (U.S.) on Wednesday (Nov. 20) vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The resolution was put forward by 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council.

It includes immediate access for civilians in the Gaza Strip to basic services, efforts to tackle the threat of famine and starvation in Palestine, and demands for unhindered entry of aid throughout the Gaza Strip. It also separately demanded the release of hostages.

14 out of 15 UNSC members voted in favour of the draft, with only the U.S. vetoing against the resolution.

"Dangerous message"

Robert Wood, Deputy U.S. ambassador to the UN, said following the veto: "We made clear throughout negotiations we could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages."

He said the proposed solution sent a "dangerous message" to Hamas that "there's no need to come back to the negotiating table".

The UNSC is made up of five permanent members who have veto power and 10 elected members.

The U.S. is among the five permanent UNSC members.

Vetoed for the fourth time

This is the fourth time that the U.S., under President Joe Biden's administration, vetoed a resolution calling for an end to the war in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

The U.S. in March submitted a draft resolution calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza and an Israel-Hamas hostage deal.

Russia and China vetoed the resolution, claiming that Israel only agreed to discuss a temporary pause to the war instead of a complete ceasefire.

The U.S. has spent at least US$17.9 billion (S$24 billion) on military aid to Israel since the war began.

The Associated Press noted that this was "by far the most military aid sent to Israel in one year".

"Resolution for appeasement"

Human Rights Watch's (HRW) UN director, Louis Charbonneau, accused the U.S. of using its veto power to "ensure impunity for Israel as its forces continue to commit crimes against Palestinians in Gaza".

Israel rejects the accusations.

Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon said the resolution proposed was not a proposal for peace but a "resolution for appeasement" of Hamas.

"History will remember who stood with the hostages and who abandoned them," Danon said.

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Top image via Angela Weiss/AFP