By Reuters
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The United States vetoed on Thursday a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would have demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and that Israel lift all restrictions on aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave.
The text, drafted by the elected 10 members of the 15-member council, would also have demanded the immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups.
It received 14 votes in favour. It was the sixth time the US had cast a veto in the Security Council over the nearly two-year war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.
“Famine has been confirmed in Gaza – not projected, not declared, confirmed,” Denmark’s UN Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen told the council before the vote.
“Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its military operation in Gaza City, further deepening the suffering of civilians. As a result, it is this catastrophic situation, this humanitarian and human failure, that has compelled us to act today,” she said.
Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it is likely to spread, a global hunger monitor determined last month.
The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. But in a rare move last week it backed a Security Council statement condemning recent strikes on Qatar, though the text did not mention Israel was responsible.
The move reflected US President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, the US veto on Thursday showed that just a week later Washington was again staunchly giving diplomatic protection to Israel.
“Hamas is responsible for starting and continuing this war. Israel has accepted proposed terms that would end the war, but Hamas continues to reject them.”
“This war could end today if Hamas freed the hostages and laid down its arms,” US diplomat Morgan Ortagus told the council before the vote.
Israel was not happy with the Security Council statement on the strikes on Qatar, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters on Thursday, adding: “But I think, overall, the level of cooperation with the US is so high that we were OK with that.”
Danon said that after Netanyahu addressed the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders next week the prime minister would travel to Washington to meet Trump on September 29.
Netanyahu said earlier this month he had been invited by Trump to visit the White House.
The UN Security Council is also expected to hold a high-level meeting on Gaza on Tuesday while world leaders are in New York.
Meanwhile, Hamas on Thursday said it has distributed Israeli hostages across several districts of Gaza City.
The organisation’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said the Israeli offensive in the city will ensure that none of the hostages return to Israel.
Hamas will have no regard for the lives of the abductees “as long as Netanyahu decides to kill them”, the group added.
It also threatened Israel’s military, saying it has “prepared thousands of ambushes and explosive devices”.
“Gaza will be a graveyard for your soldiers,” the military wing said.
Israel launched a highly controversial ground offensive in Gaza City early on Tuesday.
According to the government, the aim is to destroy the Islamist Hamas and secure the release of the remaining hostages.
However, relatives of the hostages accuse Netanyahu of sacrificing the hostages with the ground offensive in Gaza City.
They fear for the lives of the abductees and that Hamas could misuse them as human shields.
Israeli media reported in recent days that Hamas has taken the hostages out of tunnels and placed them in houses and tents to prevent the Israeli army from operating in certain areas.
Some 48 hostages are still being held in Gaza and, according to Israeli reports, 20 of them are still alive.
Additional reporting by dpa
