New York (Web Desk): The United States (US) on Thursday exercised its veto power to block a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian supplies to the enclave.
The draft, tabled by the ten elected members of the Council, received overwhelming backing with 14 votes in favor, but Washington’s opposition struck it down for the sixth time since the Israeli war in Gaza began nearly two years ago. Pakistan termed the move a “dark moment” in the Council’s proceedings.
Figures from Gaza’s health authorities report that more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict erupted.
The Council’s vote coincided with its 10,000th formal meeting, taking place under the shadow of famine spreading through Gaza and the intensification of Israel’s drive to capture Gaza City.
Along with a demand for an unconditional truce, the resolution also pressed for the release of all hostages held by Hamas and called on Israel to remove obstacles blocking relief efforts so aid could reach civilians under UN supervision and distribution channels.
Pakistan, Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia sponsored the text.
The permanent five members — China, France, Russia, the UK, and the U.S. — all maintain the authority to veto Council measures, a power each has exercised at different times. South Korea chaired the sitting as the Council’s president for September.
Ahead of the vote, US delegate Morgan Ortagus said Washington’s position “will come as no surprise,” arguing that the resolution failed to denounce Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself. She contended that the draft validated “false narratives” that benefited Hamas and sought to revive a failed system that had enabled the group to gain strength at the expense of civilians.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, voiced deep regret, stressing that on the eve of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session and during the Council’s milestone 10,000th meeting, the veto had overshadowed the body’s responsibility.
He noted that the inability to act lay solely in the use of veto power, adding that those who exercised it carried the weight of accountability.
He warned that obstructing action amid such immense human suffering was tantamount to allowing the crisis to continue. Ahmad described how two million Palestinians remain trapped between airstrikes and blockade, calling the outcome of the vote a signal that their lives were secondary to political calculations. “Every delay deepens the wound, every failure erodes this Council’s credibility,” he said.
The envoy pointed to the looming spread of famine across Gaza, the daily toll of casualties, the risk of displacement of nearly a million people, and the rapid expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
He denounced the situation as a blatant case of settler colonialism, undermining hopes for a two-state solution.
Reiterating Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause, he called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, lifting of the blockade, unhindered humanitarian corridors across Gaza, and a just settlement with a sovereign Palestinian state along pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
He declared, “We stand with humanity, justice, and the principles of international law,” reminding the Council that the cries of children and the grief of mothers should awaken conscience worldwide
Algeria’s UN envoy Amar Bendjama apologized to the Palestinian people, saying, “Forgive us — this Council was not able to help you.” Palestinian Ambassador Riyadh Mansoor pressed that the world “must not fail them any longer.” Israel’s representative Danny Dannon, however, dismissed the meeting as theatrics, claiming Hamas was the only beneficiary of what he called “stage drama.”