UN faces US resistance on Gaza ceasefire resolution

The UN Security Council will vote Wednesday on a draft resolution demanding “an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza, alongside the release of all hostages. However, the United States, a key ally of Israel, may block the measure, as it has previously vetoed similar efforts.

Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon criticized the draft, calling it “shameful,” and emphasized, “We cannot allow the UN to tie the hands of the State of Israel from protecting its citizens, and we will not stop fighting until we return all the kidnapped men and women home.”

Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood underscored the American stance: “For us, it has to be a linkage between a ceasefire and the release of hostages. It has been our principle position from the beginning and it still remains.”

Also Read: German FM Baerbock stops in Yerevan ahead of COP29

The ongoing war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, has left over 1,200 people dead in Israel and resulted in more than 43,900 deaths in Gaza, according to Hamas-run health authorities. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has displaced nearly all of its 2.4 million residents.

While some diplomats hope for a policy shift from the US in President Biden’s remaining weeks in office, echoes of past US actions, like the 2016 abstention on a resolution condemning Israeli settlements, remain uncertain.

Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour warned of the global repercussions of inaction: “Gaza’s fate will haunt the world for generations to come.”