US vetoes UN resolution on Gaza ceasefire

The United States vetoed this Wednesday (20) a ceasefire resolution in the war in the Gaza Strip at the UN Security Council. The veto intensifies the international community’s feeling of paralysis in the face of the massacre that Israel has carried out against the population of countries in the region.

In addition to the immediate end of hostilities, the proposal, taken to the plenary by the ten countries with non-permanent seats in the body, established that all parties involved in the conflict implement “unconditionally and without delay” the content of Security Council resolution 2735, approved in June. The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva supported the resolution.

In practice, this would mean the return of all hostages still held by Hamas and allied groups in Gaza, the exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the return of civilians to their homes in all parts of the enclave, and the complete withdrawal of Israel’s military forces. .

This was the fourth time that the Americans have rejected a proposal for a truce between Israel and Hamas since the conflict began in October 2023.

The US justified the veto due to the absence of a demand for the release of around 100 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, something interpreted by the Americans as fundamental to the text. The US representative at the meeting, Robert Wood, accused council members of cynically rejecting attempts to reach a compromise.

“It is a sad day for the Security Council, for the United Nations and for the international community,” said Algeria’s ambassador to the UN, Amar Bendjama, stating that the 14 countries that voted in favor of the proposal spoke “for the majority of the international community”.

Even allies of the Americans chose to support, including the United Kingdom and France.

China, in turn, warned that Benjamin Netanyahu’s operation has nothing to do with the release of hostages held by Hamas since October 2023.

With more than 43,000 deaths, the situation in Gaza is considered by the UN as a demonstration of the international body’s inability to respond to the crisis.

According to the UN, Palestinians are “facing diminishing conditions for survival” in parts of northern Gaza surrounded by Israeli forces because virtually no aid has been delivered in 1940.

The UN says all its attempts to support the estimated 65,000 to 75,000 people in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and Jabalia this month have been denied or blocked, forcing bakeries and kitchens to close.

Earlier this month, a UN-backed assessment said there was a strong likelihood that famine was imminent in areas of northern Gaza.