Security Council Fails to Adopt Resolution Calling for Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza, Owing to Veto by United States
Obstruction of Text Reflects Agony of Multilateralism, Reveals Why Israel ‘Continues Its Crimes’, Says Delegate of Algeria
The Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution aiming to ameliorate the plight of civilians in Gaza, as the United States vetoed the measure despite affirmative votes by the other 14 members of the 15-nation organ.
“There are moments when silence is more eloquent than language,” observed Algeria’s representative — “today is one of those”. However, he added: “But silence cannot defend the dead; it cannot hold the hand of the dying; it cannot confront the machinery of injustice.” Therefore “we must speak — loudly”, he proclaimed — not to state a position, “but for the sake of memory, of morality and of the human spirit”. Today’s resolution — even in its obstruction — is a mirror that “reflects the agony of multilateralism” and “reveals why the Israeli occupier continues its crimes”, he said.
Today, the Council’s elected members stood with clarity, conviction and courage — “they are the proud bearer of moral legitimacy, they are the true compass of the world’s conscience”, he stressed. He underscored that the Council should have acted to impose a ceasefire in Gaza — “for the killing of Palestinian children to not become a mere pastime”; “for starvation not to be legitimized as a weapon”; and “for future generations to not grow up scorning international law”. Stressing that today’s vote “is not a conclusion”, he quoted a recent statement by his country’s President: “Algeria will not abandon Palestine.”
That statement immediately followed the Council’s failure to adopt today’s resolution. That draft text, introduced by the representative of Slovenia on behalf of the 10 elected members of the Council, would have demanded a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. However, it was defeated by a vote of 14 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions. (As a permanent Council member cast a negative vote, the text was not adopted.)
The representative of that member — the United States — said before the vote that her country’s opposition to the draft “should come as no surprise”. The text, she stressed, “is unacceptable for what it does say, it is unacceptable for what it does not say and it is unacceptable for the manner in which it has been advanced”. She underscored: “Any product that undermines our close ally Israel’s security is a non-starter.”
Adding that the Council cannot be allowed to “reward Hamas”, she stated that the text also “draws false equivalence” between that group and Israel. Additionally, the permanent ceasefire envisioned by the text would leave Hamas in a position to carry out future attacks. She also said that the draft does not acknowledge the disastrous shortcomings of prior methods of aid delivery, which allowed Hamas to enrich itself at the expense of Palestinians. “Performative actions designed to draw a veto”, she stressed, are harmful while delicate diplomacy is at work.
However, the representative of Slovenia stressed after the vote: “It was never our intention to provoke a veto.” As such, the draft resolution had only one focus — “a humanitarian one”, he noted — as briefings to the Council on this issue have become increasingly distressing. “Just ashes and sorrow,” he observed. Starving civilians and inflicting immense suffering is inhumane, against international law and not justified by any war objective. “We had hoped — and expected — that this was our shared understanding,” he said.
Today’s resolution would have constituted the “bare minimum” for the “first-aid kit” that the international community must provide to ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians, underscored the representative of the Russian Federation. Yet, once again, the Council could not adopt a product that would have spared Gaza and the region from descending further into chaos. “We all today have another opportunity to see who really wants peace in the Middle East, and who wants to continue playing political games,” he said.
Other delegations also spotlighted the text as the least the Council could do to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. “It represented the lowest common denominator” that “we should be able to defend”, stressed Panama’s representative, adding that nothing in the text disregards Israel’s security concerns. Sierra Leone’s representative, too, said that the draft “represented the bare minimum required to address the worsening, catastrophic humanitarian situation”. She warned: “The cost of inaction will be borne by an entire generation.”
In that vein, Somalia’s representative urged Israel to fulfil its international obligations and end its occupation: “This is the only path to sustainable peace in the Middle East and for the future of many children to come.” International law is clear, underscored Denmark’s representative. Humanitarian aid must never be politicized, used as a bargaining chip nor employed as part of a military strategy, she said, adding: “We have all seen the chaotic scenes at the recently set-up aid distribution sites.”
“We witness, every day, on our screens, the agonizing killing of innocent Palestinians, including children,” the representative of the Republic of Korea said, also noting the recent chaos at the new aid-distribution sites. “We are also extremely concerned about the horrific conditions that Israeli hostages, still brutally held by Hamas, are forced to endure,” he added. However, blocking or throttling humanitarian aid for millions of people cannot ensure the safe return of hostages, he pointed out.
China’s representative joined these and other Council members to also take issue with the aid-delivery mechanism promoted by the United States and Israel, as it violates the principles of impartiality and neutrality. “This mechanism has even become a death trap,” he stressed, noting the repeated incidents of civilian casualties near distribution sites and underscoring that military means are not the solution. The United Kingdom’s representative concurred: “This Israeli Government’s decision to expand its military operations in Gaza and severely restrict aid are unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive.”
“Peace cannot be maintained by force,” stated Greece’s representative — “it can only be achieved by understanding”. While joining several others in condemning Hamas’ terrorist attacks, he urged Israel to allow the immediate, unhindered flow of humanitarian aid — at scale — throughout the entire Gaza Strip. The partial resumption of aid delivery is hardly sufficient, he added, stating that reports about the deaths of those seeking aid are “simply unthinkable”.
France’s representative observed: “We all know the tragedy taking place under our very eyes in Gaza — not many words are needed.” Providing humanitarian aid cannot be conditioned on a ceasefire, nor can it be used for political purposes. While the Council should condemn Hamas’ attack, he urged the organ to also work towards a “concrete implementation of the two-State solution”. For its part, France will continue working towards this objective by co-chairing, with Saudi Arabia, a conference on that solution over 17-20 June.
The representative of Pakistan also spotlighted that conference, while underscoring that the Council’s failure to adopt today’s text is “another low in the history of this august body”. The veto cast sends the signal that the lives of over 2 million starved and besieged Palestinians are dispensable. While the Council deliberated, Gaza was decimated, and he stated that to kill civilians seeking bread and water is to criminalize survival. “Aid dropped from the sky or delivered under armed escort is not a solution, it is a spectacle,” he added.
For his part, the representative of Yemen — speaking for the Arab Group — concurred that the Council’s failure today seriously undermines its mandate. Urging more action to protect the Palestinian people, he expressed support for mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. However, it is vital to resume the entry of humanitarian aid and end Israel’s occupation, he stressed, pointing out that such aid has become a method for forced displacement.
While thanking the 14 Council members who voted in favour of today’s text, the observer of the State of Palestine pointed to the “engineered starvation” wrought upon his people. “An entire civilian population”, he said, is brought to the “edge of famine”, and aid is then used to lure and confine them to an extremely limited area of the Strip — “clearly to facilitate their expulsion and annexation”. Noting the Council’s failure to act, he asked: “You cannot even say something about that?”
He also questioned whether the Council has anything to say about Israel breaking the fundamental rules of international law — “of basic humanity”. While noting his expectation that the elected members’ minimal demands — “directed by humanity, by legality, by morality” — would have received unanimous support, he recalled that they were instead met with a veto. Meanwhile, efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to realize a ceasefire have yet to meet success. He asked: “Does that mean Israel can continue its destruction of the Gaza Strip — and all life within it — while the negotiations continue?”
Meanwhile, Israel’s representative said: “Today, this Council stood at a crossroads, and most of you chose wrong — you chose appeasement and submission.” Nevertheless, he thanked the United States for standing on the right side and refusing to abandon the hostages. Israel had accepted multiple versions of the United States-backed proposal, but Hamas has rejected every deal, every offer, every opportunity. Further, he said that the text undermines humanitarian aid, while the new aid-delivery mechanism is operational and “is doing what the old system could not — stopping Hamas from stealing it”.
“I listened to all of you,” he said, adding that only a few condemned Hamas. Instead of applying pressure where it belongs, most of the Council is applying it on the country working to bring its people back home. Military pressure works, he emphasized, reaffirming commitment to bringing all hostages home. “Don’t waste more of your time,” he told those present, referring to the General Assembly emergency meeting that will be triggered by today’s veto. He added that no resolution, no vote, “will stand in our way”.