The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for an immediate, unconditional cease-fire in Gaza on Nov. 20.
The 15-member council voted on the resolution proposed by 10 nonpermanent members, including Algeria, Ecuador, and Japan. The United States was the only member to vote against it, using its veto power as a permanent member to block its adoption.
The resolution demanded an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent cease-fire” and separately urged the release of hostages.
Robert Wood, U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., said Washington would support a resolution only if it explicitly links a cease-fire to the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas.
“These two urgent goals are inextricably linked,“ he said. ”This resolution abandoned that necessity, and for that reason, the United States could not support it.”
Wood noted that the United States believes that the resolution would send a “dangerous message” to Hamas that “there’s no need to come back to the negotiating table.”
Other members of the council criticized the United States for its veto.
Vanessa Frazier, Malta’s U.N. ambassador, said, “It is deeply regretted that due to the use of the veto this council has once again failed to uphold its responsibility to maintain international peace and security.”
She said that the resolution “represented the bare minimum of what is needed to begin to address the desperate situation on the ground.”
“Messages we send to the world through these resolutions, they matter,” he said.
Wood criticized the resolution for failing to condemn Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“It’s inexplicable that more than 13 months since that day, some members of this Council are missing the plot that they refuse to acknowledge it is Hamas that instigated this conflict,” he said.
“We regret that the Council could have incorporated compromise language the UK put forward to bridge the existing gaps and support these humanitarian steps. With that language, this resolution should have been adopted.”
Wood also addressed allegations that some council members wanted the United States to veto the measure.
“We heard that some desired a U.S. veto rather than a consensus product,“ he said. ”That is cynical and unfortunate.”
The conflict in Gaza has resulted in nearly 44,000 deaths and widespread displacement among the enclave’s 2.3 million residents, according to Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry figures.
Israel’s military campaign began in response to an attack by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, during which they killed 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostages.
French Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière noted that the rejected resolution “very firmly” required the release of hostages.
“France still has two hostages in Gaza, and we deeply regret that the Security Council was not able to formulate this demand,” he said.
Wood said the United States will continue efforts to alleviate conditions in Gaza.
“The United States will keep working to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground, which, as we’ve said before, requires unhindered access and sustained humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza and reaching all those in need,” he said.
“We must work toward a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side within two democratic states and enjoy equal measures of security, dignity, and freedom.”
Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, had earlier criticized the resolution, calling it “a resolution for appeasement” of Hamas.
“History will remember who stood with the hostages and who abandoned them,” he said.
