Geneva (Web Desk): The United States (US) on Wednesday vetoed a United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution condemning Hamas’ attack on Israel while calling for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, a pause in the fighting and the lifting of an order for civilians to evacuate the north of the besieged territory.
The US was the sole vote against the resolution on Wednesday, with 12 members including two G7 members Japan and France, broke with the US by voting in favor of the motion while Russia and the United Kingdom abstaining.
The text crafted by Brazilian diplomats, contained criticism of “heinous terrorist crimes by Hamas” and made no direct reference of Israel. In an attempt to win US support, the draft resolution did not explicitly call for a ceasefire, instead referencing a “humanitarian pause”.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield ambassador said draft resolution did not do enough to underscore Israel’s right to self-defence. “We are on the ground doing the hard work of diplomacy,” She told the council after the vote. “We believe we need to let that diplomacy play out.”
Israel thanked the US for using its veto. China described the move as “nothing short of unbelievable” while Russia said it was an example of US double standards.
The vote came due to increasing tensions in the region, with crowds of protesters taking to the street in several countries after a deadly air strike at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday drew widespread outrage.
Palestinian authorities said at least 471 people were killed in the blast that was caused by an Israeli air raid. While Israel says the explosion was the result of a rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group misfiring. The PIJ has rejected the allegation.
Despite the uncertainty around the cause of the explosion, protests across the Middle East have heightened concerns that other armed groups in the region could join the Israel-Hamas war.