Newsletters
Hamas strongly condemned the United States' veto of a U.N. Security Council Gaza cease-fire resolution, describing it as direct support for what the organization termed Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinian civilians.
The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, citing the proposal's failure to condemn Hamas, despite receiving 14 supporting votes from other council members.
The Security Council convened to discuss the Gaza resolution submitted by the council's non-permanent 10 members (E10) and presented by group coordinator Slovenia on Tuesday.
The humanitarian-focused cease-fire resolution received 14 yes votes but was rejected by the United States, which exercised its veto power as a permanent Security Council member.
In a written statement, Hamas characterized the US veto as giving "a green light" for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue what they described as a "barbaric genocide war" against innocent civilians in Gaza, including children, women, and elderly people.
"The US veto represents Washington's blind partisanship toward the fascist occupation government and confirms its support for crimes against humanity committed in Gaza," the Hamas statement read.
The organization accused the United States of being "a full partner" in crimes that Israel continues to commit against Palestinian civilians.
Hamas criticized the U.S. position as a "brazen attitude" that completely rejects any international effort to stop Palestinian bloodshed, saying Washington disregards international law entirely.
The statement emphasized that the U.S. stance provides support for Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, to continue military operations against Gaza civilians.
"The U.S. veto means a green light for war criminal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, to continue his savage genocide war against innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, including children, women and the elderly, and reveals that it is a full partner in the crime that Israel continues to commit," Hamas stated.
US Representative Dorothy Shea explained the veto decision, stating, "Our opposition to this resolution should not come as a surprise.
It is unacceptable for what it contains, what it does not contain, and how it was presented."
"The United States has clearly stated that it will not support any measure that does not condemn Hamas," Shea added.
"The United States has been clear: we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza," Acting U.S. Representative to the UNSC, Dorothy Shea, noted in a later written statement.
"We instead urge the U.N. and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to support the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to help it safely deliver aid without it being diverted by Hamas.
The GHF has emphasized it will deliver aid consistent with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence," she said during the UNSC Resolution.
"Today, the United States sent a strong message by vetoing a counterproductive U.N. Security Council resolution on targeting Israel," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement after Wednesday's 14 to 1 vote.
"We will not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas, does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza, draws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas, or disregards Israel’s right to defend itself," he added.
"The United States will continue to stand with Israel at the UN," he added. "The United Nations must return to its original purpose—promoting peace and security—and stop these performative actions," Rubio concluded.
Slovenia's U.N. Permanent Representative, Samuel Zbogar, speaking on behalf of the E10 group, emphasized the significance of the overwhelming support.
"The resolution was not adopted. However, 14 yes votes carry a strong message," Zbogar said, noting that one veto vote prevented the Council from taking action.
"When faced with choosing between abandoning the rules that have guided the international community for 80 years and the right of veto, we chose humanity," he stated.
Pakistan's ambassador to the U.N., Asim Ahmad, meanwhile, said the failed resolution would "remain not only a moral stain on the conscience of this council but a fateful moment of political application that will reverberate for generations."
China's ambassador to the U.N., Fu Cong, said, "Today's vote result once again exposes that the root cause of the council's inability to quell the conflict in Gaza is the repeated obstruction by the US."
"The Council was prevented from shouldering its responsibility, even though most of us seem to be converging on one view," said France's ambassador to the U.N., Jerome Bonnafont.
Zbogar explained that the draft resolution focused solely on the humanitarian situation, acknowledging different positions within the Security Council.
"We thought the Council should unite around this urgent demand for unimpeded humanitarian access and delivering food to civilians dying of hunger," he said.
The Slovenian representative emphasized that starving civilians and causing them "tremendous" suffering is "inhumane and contrary to international law."
"No war objective can justify such action. We hoped and expected this to be our common understanding," he noted.
The resolution was signed by Slovenia as E10 coordinator, along with Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Pakistan, South Korea, Sierra Leone, and Somalia.
The E10 group had prepared a concise draft resolution expressing "serious concerns" about the situation in Gaza, including famine risks, and reaffirming that all parties must comply with their obligations under international law.
The proposal highlighted that the civilian population's situation in Gaza has worsened since Israel resumed attacks in March, following a previous temporary ceasefire period.
The resolution called for urgent intervention to address the humanitarian crisis affecting civilians in Gaza, where Israeli military operations continue.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a cease-fire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
1 min read
2 min read
