UNITED STATES: Russia and China on Friday (March 22) vetoed a US-led resolution attempt at the Security Council on a ceasefire in Gaza, with Moscow accusing Washington of a “hypocritical spectacle” of not putting pressure on Israel.
The United States, Israel’s main ally which had vetoed previous calls for a ceasefire, submitted a resolution for the first time supporting “the importance of an immediate and sustainable ceasefire” and condemning the Hamas attack on October 7.
Russia and China used their veto powers, Algeria also voted against and Guyana abstained. Eleven other Security Council members voted in favour, including permanent members France and Britain.
Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, said the United States was doing nothing to control Israel, mocking Washington for talking about a ceasefire after “Gaza was almost wiped off the face of the earth.”
“We have observed a typical hypocritical spectacle,” he said.
“The American product is highly politicized, with the sole aim of playing with voters and giving them a blow in the form of some kind of calling a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.
The resolution would “ensure impunity for Israel, whose crimes are not even assessed in the draft.”
The draft resolution does not explicitly demand that Israel immediately end its campaign in Gaza. In the fine language of the Security Council resolution, the draft “specifies” the “immediate and sustainable” ceasefire.
The draft links the ceasefire to ongoing negotiations, led by Qatar with the support of the United States and Egypt, to end the war in exchange for the release of hostages by Hamas.
China’s representative, Zhang Jun, said the draft “avoids the most central issue, namely the ceasefire” through its “ambiguous” language.
“This also does not provide an answer to the question regarding the realization of a ceasefire in the short term,” he said.
ENCOURAGE ALTERNATIVE OUTCOMES
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Brussels immediately after the veto, said France would continue to push for an alternative resolution to a ceasefire.
The Security Council may consider another resolution on Friday with a more explicit call for an immediate ceasefire.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield indicated opposition, saying it would jeopardize ongoing talks for the release of the hostages.
Speaking before the vote on the US plan, Thomas-Greenfield said, “By adopting the resolution before us, we can pressure Hamas to
accept that agreement at the negotiating table.”
He later called the Russian and Chinese vetoes “not just cynical” but also “petty.”
“Russia and China absolutely do not want to vote on the resolution made by the United States,” he said.
“Let’s be honest – for all the fiery rhetoric, we all know that Russia and China have done nothing diplomatically to advance lasting peace or to contribute meaningfully to the humanitarian response,” he said.
Russia, China and Algeria say the resolution should stop Israel from threatening attacks on Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge.
The United States has publicly opposed the operation, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Friday to go to Rafah even without US support after he met Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who promoted the now-determined resolution on his latest regional tour.
More than 1,160 people, mostly civilians, were killed on October 7 when militants infiltrated Israel in the country’s deadliest attack, according to official Israeli figures.
Israel thereafter vowed to eradicate Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. Some 32,000 people, mostly civilians, died, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and the United Nations has warned of imminent famine in the region.
