2h ago
US vetoes UN security council resolution on humanitarian pause
Patrick Wintour
A US veto led to the UN security council failing to agree to any resolution on the Middle East crisis after the US rejected a Brazil-sponsored proposal that called for humanitarian corridors,
a pause in the fighting and a rescinding of the order by Israel requiring citizens in Gaza to leave the north of the territory.
The text supported by 12 of the 15 members of the security council including criticism of “heinous terrorist crimes by Hamas” and made no direct criticism of Israel. But it was opposed on Wednesday by the US ambassador,
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on the basis that it made no mention of Israel’s right to self-defence. The
UK abstained.
The US ambassador said she was horrified and saddened by the loss of life, but added that it was Hamas’s actions that had brought about the humanitarian crisis. She also called for time to let Biden’s diplomacy play out.
Israel thanked the US for using its veto.
Two members of the G7 on the council,
Japan and
France, backed the Brazil motion.
China said it was in a state of shock and disappointed at the US veto, saying “it was nothing short of unbelievable”.
Russia’s two amendments to the Brazil resolution called for a durable ceasefire and an end to the indiscriminate attacks by Israel. Its amendments were vetoed by the US, but had only six and seven votes, insufficient for the required majority of nine and no vetoes.
Brazil, the current president of the security council, had spent the last three days trying to negotiate a balanced ceasefire resolution, and claimed its compromise was balanced, pointing out that it blamed Hamas for “henious acts of terrorism”.
The Brazil motion also called for “humanitarian pauses to allow full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for
UN humanitarian agencies and their
implementing partners, the International Committee of
the Red Cross and other impartial humanitarian
organizations, and encourages the establishment of
humanitarian corridors and other initiatives for the
delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians”.
The UK said the draft resolution needed to be clearer on Israel’s right to self-defence and ignored the fact that Hamas was using civilians as human shields.
The outcome is unlikely to help western diplomatic efforts to woo the global south over Ukraine since the US and to a lesser extent the UK is likely to be accused of double standards in its calls for Russia to abide by humanitarian law.
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