(DCWatchdog.com) – In a move in defense of its ally Israel against pro-Islamist regimes, the United States has blocked a resolution of the UN Security Council that would have demanded that the Jewish State stop its military action against the Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip over the October 7 attack.
On Tuesday, the US exercised its veto power at the United Nations Security Council against the proposal on the conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, which massacred over 1,400 Israelis and foreigners on October 7.
This move by the US was in favor of promoting a resolution that would condition the ceasefire on the release of hostages currently held by Hamas, after they were kidnapped on October 7.
Тhe vetoed resolution was drafted by Algeria and was backed by thirteen of the council’s fifteen members, while the United Kingdom chose to abstain, The Jerusalem Post reports.
This marks the third occasion the US has vetoed a resolution concerning the ongoing conflict since it escalated on October 7.
“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 declared ahead of the vote.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN, had previously indicated the US’s intention to veto this draft document over concerns that it could undermine ongoing negotiations involving the US, Egypt, Israel, and Qatar.
These talks aim to broker a ceasefire that would also secure 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,” she warned.
Following the veto, the US introduced an alternative resolution that does not directly connect the ceasefire with the release of hostages but instead calls for a temporary cessation of hostilities.
This approach aims to facilitate the extraction of hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid, the report notes.
Britain’s UN Ambassador, Barbara Woodward, echoed the sentiment that a mere call for a ceasefire, as the vetoed resolution proposed, would not suffice in halting the conflict or preventing its resurgence.
The White House’s stance on this matter was further clarified by National Security spokesman John Kirby, who highlighted the potential risk to ongoing negotiations posed by the vetoed resolution.
