The United States used its veto power to kill a measure in the United Nations Security Council intending to demand that Israel implement a ceasefire in Gaza.
“For weeks we have made it incredibly clear that the resolution before the council would not achieve the goal of a sustainable peace and may in fact run counter to it,” said U.S. U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The ceasefire resolution was originally proposed by Algeria, a temporary member of the security council, as Israel prepares to enter Rafah, a city on the Southern border of Gaza.
Algeria’s proposed resolution was supported by a coalition of Arab nations, and received support from the majority of Security Council nations, both permanent and temporary.
The resolution also demanded that all hostages be released, and condemned the displacement of Palestinian civilians, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to force the evacuation of Rafah, which borders Egypt.
France, Russia, and China, all permanent members, voted in favor of the resolution, with the United Kingdom abstaining from the vote.
All the temporary member countries also supported the resolution.
Algeria can take the resolution into the U.N. General Assembly, but, unlike in the case of a Security Council resolution, the General Assembly’s resolution will not be legally binding.
The United States claimed that the resolution would harm ongoing negations between Hamas and Israel, and could hinder the release of hostages.
The U.S. proposed a separate resolution that would demand a temporary ceasefire as soon as possible, and demand the release of hostages.
The proposal would also condemn the invasion of Rafah under “current circumstances,” and demand that all humanitarian aid be allowed into Gaza.
Shocker! “Algeria’s proposed resolution was supported by a coalition of Arab nations, and received support from the majority of Security Council nations, both permanent and temporary.” The U.S. should defund the useless UN.