New York [US]: The draft resolution on the Israel-Hamas war was not adopted on Wednesday after the United States vetoed the council’s call that would have asked for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza.
Brazil, which headed the ‘call for action’ noted that the focus remains on the critical humanitarian situation on the ground.
Brazil’s ambassador to the Security Council, Sergio Franca Danese, stated that his nation responded to a plea from Council members to develop a unified approach to the situation. Brazil is the Security Council’s President for October.
“We heeded the call with a sense of urgency and responsibility, in our view the Security Council had to take action and do so very quickly,” he said, according to the UN News.
“Council paralysis in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe is not in the interest of the international community,” he added.
“Very sadly, the Council was yet again unable to adopt a resolution on the crisis, again silence and inaction prevailed,” he said further.
Notably, 12 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour of the Brazil-led resolution, one (the United States) voted against it, and two (Russia, and the United Kingdom) abstained.
Explaining why the US went for veto, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that “this resolution did not mention Israel’s right of self-defence.”
“Israel has the inherent right of self-defence as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter,” she said, adding that the right was reaffirmed by the Council in previous resolutions on terrorist attacks, “this resolution should have done the same.”
Despite being unable to support the resolution, the US, according to Greenfield, would still closely coordinate with all Council members on the crisis, “just as we will continue to reiterate the need to protect civilians, including members of the media, humanitarian workers, and UN officials.”
Meanwhile, the UK’s Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward said that her country abstained from the resolution as the text needed to be clearer on Israel’s inherent right to self-defence, and because it ignored the fact that Hamas, which controls Gaza, is using Palestinian civilians as human shields, UN News reported.
“They [Hamas] have embedded themselves in civilian communities and made the Palestinian people their victims too,” she said.
This was the second public meeting of the Council on the Gaza issue. On the situation, ambassadors have convened, primarily behind closed doors, notably on October 8 and 13.
The vote on the Brazilian-led draught resolution comes after a Russian-led proposal asking for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza was defeated on Monday evening.
The United Nations Security Council rejected a Russian resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas as the draft did not get a minimum number of votes to be passed.
Russia had proposed a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The Russian-led draft resolution received five votes in favour – China, Gabon, Mozambique, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Four nations – United Kingdom, United States, France and Japan on Monday voted against the draft resolution. France, the US and the UK voted against the resolution over its failure to condemn Hamas for its attacks on Israel.
Six nations – Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Malta, and Switzerland abstained from voting on the resolution. Notably, the resolution would have needed nine votes in favour to proceed.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that the US could not support the Russian draft resolution as it ignored Hamas’ attack on Israel and dishonoured victims.
Thousands of people have been killed on both sides as the war continues to turn brutal with every passing day.
The war, as it unfolds, comes up with international pressure mounting for an immediate ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table to resolve the long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict.