Watch | Why US Blocked Gaza Ceasefire Call With 3rd UN Veto In Israel-Hamas War; Russia, China React

The United States once again vetoed a draft United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday. It blocked a demand for a humanitarian ceasefire as it instead pushed the 15-member body to call for a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas.

As many as 13 members voted in favor of the Algerian-drafted text, while the UK abstained. It was the third US veto of a draft resolution since the start of the current fighting on Oct. 7. Washington has also used its veto to block an amendment to a draft resolution in December.

‘Palestinians’ right to life’

“A vote in favor of this draft resolution is support to the Palestinians’ right to life. Conversely, voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them,” Algeria’s UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama told the council before the vote. On Saturday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield signaled that her country would veto the draft resolution over concerns it could jeopardise talks between the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar that seek to broker a pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“Demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring Hamas to release the hostages will not bring about a durable peace. Instead, it could extend the fighting between Hamas and Israel,” Thomas-Greenfield told the council ahead of the vote. After the vote, she said the United States “will continue to actively engage in the hard work of direct diplomacy on the ground until we reach a final solution.”

Algerian-drafted resolution

The Algerian-drafted resolution vetoed by the US did not link a ceasefire to the release of hostages. It separately demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. “The message given today to Israel with this veto is that it can continue to get away with murder,” Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour told the council. Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said the word ceasefire was being mentioned “as if it is a silver bullet, a magical solution to all of the region’s problems.” “A ceasefire achieves one thing and one thing only – the survival of Hamas,” Erdan told the council.

The US has now proposed a rival draft resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and opposing a major ground offensive by its ally Israel in Rafah. The US envoy said her delegation is working on a hostage deal. Although gaps remain, the key elements are on the table, so if an arrangement were reached, it would involve a sustainable peace. “Sometimes hard diplomacy takes more time than any of us might like,” she said. “Any action this Council takes should help and not hinder these sensitive ongoing negotiations.”

How Russia and China React

Russian Ambassador Nebenzia said, “Today, we have witnessed another black page in the history of the Security Council”. He said that Washington pursues the same goal – to cover up on behalf of its closest Middle Eastern ally and play for time so that it can complete its “inhumane plans” for Gaza, namely to squeeze the Palestinians out of the Strip and completely “cleanse” the enclave.

Full responsibility for the consequences falls on Washington, no matter how hard the US tries to evade it by talking about its “important mediation efforts”, he said. Meanwhile, China expressed “strong disappointment” over the United States blocking a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on the Israel-Hamas war calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. “China expresses its strong disappointment at and dissatisfaction with the U.S. veto,” Xinhua reported on Wednesday, citing China’s permanent representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun.

What the US Wants

Washington has been reluctant to embrace the word ceasefire in any UN action on the Israel-Hamas war. However, the US text echoes language that President Joe Biden said he used last week in conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US draft resolution would see the Security Council “underscore its support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable, based on the formula of all hostages being released, and calls for lifting all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale.”

This is the second time since Oct. 7 that Washington has proposed a Security Council resolution on Gaza. Russia and China vetoed its first attempt in late October. Back in December, more than three-quarters of the 193-member UN General Assembly voted to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry political significance.

(With agency inputs)