US vetoes UNSC resolution for humanitarian pause in Gaza war aimed at relief delivery

“Yes, resolutions are important. And yes, this council must speak out,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

“But the actions we take must be informed by the facts on the support of direct diplomacy efforts that can save lives. The council needs to get this right.”

Thomas-Greenfield also added the US was disappointed that the resolution — which also called for the release of hostages and condemned terrorism and acts of violence against civilians — made no mention of Israel’s right to self-defense.

UN Human Rights Watch Director Louis Charbonneau condemned the US veto, which he stated took place “at a time of unprecedented carnage.”

“In so doing, they blocked the very demands they so often insist upon in other contexts: all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and ensure that vital humanitarian aid and essential services reach people in need,” Charbonneau said of the veto.

The UN ambassador for Brazil, the president of the Security Council this month, announced in a statement after the US veto that “silence and inaction prevailed,” adding he hoped “efforts by other actors will yield positive results.”

“Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza cannot wait any longer,” Ambassador Sergio Franca Danese added.

Representatives of 12 countries in the 15-member UNSC voted in favor of the resolution while Britain and Russia abstained.

Nearly 3,500 people have been killed in more than 12 days of Israeli attacks on Gaza. The brutal campaign began after the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement launched attacks on Israeli settlers and military forces to retaliate months of violence against the Palestinians and their sanctities.

The US has always been a staunch supporter of Israel. Washington has been supporting the regime by blocking international efforts to hold the regime accountable for its acts.

The UNSC resolution vetoed by the US on Wednesday had called for the cancelation of an order for civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate to south of the coastal sliver in anticipation of major ground offensive by Israel.

More than a million have become homeless inside Gaza as a result of Israeli bombardment and shelling. The regime has also maintained a crippling siege on the small territory by cutting water, electricity and food supplies to more than 2.3 million people living there.

The action on the Brazilian-led draft resolution follows the failure on Monday of a Russian-drafted resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

The Russian-drafted resolution failed to get the minimum nine votes needed as the US and the UK voted against the draft resolution, while five, including China, Russia and the UAE, voted in favor and there were six abstentions.