The UN Security Council voted on Wednesday on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and free access to humanitarian aid in Gaza. However, the initiative was defeated due to a US veto.
The resolution was voted on at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday (June 4), local time. In this, 14 other countries of the Security Council except the US voted in favor of the resolution. This is the first vote by the 15-member body since last November. Earlier in November, the US, a key ally of Israel, blocked a resolution calling for an end to the fighting.
The new resolution calls for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza by all parties.” It also calls for the immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups. In addition, the resolution also demanded the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, highlighting the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in the Palestinian territories.
The US representative to the Security Council said it would not support any resolution that did not condemn Hamas’ attacks on Israel and call on the group to disarm and withdraw from Gaza. Before the vote, the US acting ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, made clear the US’s opposition to the resolution presented by 10 countries on the 15-member council.
She said the US has been very clear since the start of this conflict that Israel has the right to defend itself. That includes defeating Hamas and ensuring that it is never in a position to threaten Israel again.
Source: Al Jazeera