The United States has exercised its veto power within the United Nations Security Council, thwarting a resolution that sought to compel Israel to establish humanitarian corridors into the besieged Gaza Strip, institute a ceasefire, and revoke an order for civilians to evacuate northern Gaza.
This resolution, backed by 12 of the 15 Security Council members on Wednesday, bore criticism of “heinous terrorist crimes by Hamas” but refrained from directly mentioning Israel. In an endeavor to garner U.S. support, the draft resolution tactfully avoided explicitly advocating for a ceasefire, instead opting for the term “humanitarian pause.”
The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, deemed the resolution, meticulously crafted by Brazilian diplomats, unacceptable on the grounds that it failed to acknowledge Israel’s right to self-defense. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, abstained, asserting that the resolution overlooked how Hamas employed ordinary Palestinians as human shields.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield expressed deep sorrow for the loss of life while attributing the humanitarian crisis to the actions of Hamas. She called for patience to allow the diplomatic efforts of President Joe Biden to unfold.
Israel conveyed its gratitude for the U.S. veto, while China labeled the move as “nothing short of unbelievable,” and Russia considered it an instance of U.S. double standards.
Two members of the G7 on the Security Council, Japan and France, diverged from the U.S. by supporting the resolution.
The draft resolution further urged “humanitarian pauses to allow full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access for United Nations humanitarian agencies.” Its inability to pass constitutes another setback for the authority of the international body.
Meanwhile, during a meeting of the 59-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Riyadh, Israel’s forces were accused of targeting the al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. A recent explosion, which resulted in hundreds of casualties, was attributed by Palestinian officials to an Israeli airstrike. Israel contended that it resulted from a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied responsibility.
The blame dispute may have minimal impact on the Arab public. Arab states, including Bahrain and Morocco, which established ties with Israel in recent years, held Israel accountable for the explosion. Saudi Arabia, which terminated talks on potential ties with Israel amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, referred to the blast as a “heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces.”
Simultaneously, the region witnessed heated protests, with more planned in the wake of a declared “day of rage.”
A scheduled mini-summit between Joe Biden and Arab states, alongside the Palestinian Authority’s leader, Mahmoud Abbas, was canceled. The Jordanian foreign minister emphasized that the summit would convene only when a decision to cease hostilities and halt the massacres was reached.
Years of arduous diplomatic work aimed at fostering new relations between Israel and some Arab states appear to be unraveling, a development that could embolden hardliners in Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine. Furthermore, some factions within the Israeli government show no inclination for rapprochement with Arab states if it entails compromises concerning the Palestinian issue.
Egypt’s President, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, issued a stern warning, suggesting that Egypt could unleash protests domestically if Israel did not back down. He has been demanding that Israel permit aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, contingent on U.S.-backed Israeli assurances that the convoys would not contain ammunition for Hamas, a crucial point in negotiations with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The situation underscores the precarious diplomatic and humanitarian complexities in the region, with implications that extend far beyond its borders.