New York, MINA – The United States used its veto power at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to block a resolution advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
This marks the fifth time since October 2023 that Washington has prevented such a measure from advancing amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, Palestine Chronicle reported.
The resolution called for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” while also urging the release of captives currently held by Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.
Despite 14 member states voting in favor, the US, as a permanent member of the Council, exercised its veto to nullify the resolution.
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Hours before the vote, a US official informed Reuters news agency that Washington would reject the resolution if its original terms remained unchanged.
Later, during the council’s debate, Robert Wood, the US deputy representative to the UN, defended the veto, stating: “We made clear throughout negotiations, we could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages.”
“Simply put, this resolution would have sent a dangerous message to Hamas: there’s no need to come back to the negotiating table,” he added.
Unlike previous ceasefire proposals, this latest resolution was collectively put forward by all 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council.
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Nevertheless, it faced the same outcome as four earlier attempts that the US had also vetoed, often standing alone in opposition. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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