By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS | 20 November 2024 (IDN) — The US veto on a Security Council (UNSC) resolution—demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza—was highly predictable.
The resolution, which was vetoed November 20, also called for the release of all hostages and full humanitarian access for civilians.
Since 1945, a total of 36 UNSC draft resolutions related to Israel-Palestine have been vetoed by at least one of the five permanent members (P5)—the US, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France.
Of these, 34 were vetoed by the US and two by Russia and China, according to Al Jazeera, the Qatari-based Middle East news network.
Meanwhile, the US, a strong ally with undying loyalty to Israel, came under heavy fire for its decision to exercise its veto—for the fourth time on a resolution on Gaza.
Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, said the US used its veto, once again, to ensure impunity for Israel as its forces continue to commit crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, including mass forced displacement and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
The resolution it rejected also called for the release of Israeli hostages and compliance with international humanitarian law, both of which the US itself has called for.
“By continuing to shield Israeli authorities from pressure and scrutiny, the US is de facto condoning their crimes against humanity,” said Charbonneau.
Brenda Moyfa, Head of Oxfam’s New York Office, said: “It is shameful that the United States has once again used the veto to block consensus on a life-saving ceasefire, while they continue to approve deadly arms transfers to fuel the violence and humanitarian catastrophe.”
This latest resolution for humanitarian access and an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza was promising on paper, but has little meaning vetoed, while past resolutions have gone unenforced, she pointed out.
Security Council members continue to transfer arms for the Israeli military’s ongoing attacks on Palestinians trapped in Gaza without anywhere safe or the most basic resources to survive.
“The North Gaza governorate is being ethnically cleansed, with desperate civilians being deliberately starved to death in blatant violation of international law. Virtually no aid has entered all of Gaza for weeks now, yet member states continue to look the other way.
“This vote underlines Israel’s continued impunity to commit atrocities in Gaza. We need urgent reform within the UN Security Council. It is a profound failure and dereliction of duty for the member states who have pledged to uphold the UN Charter to maintain peace and protect lives,” Moyfa declared.
Asked whether Secretary-General António Guterres has any reaction to the failure of the Gaza ceasefire resolution in the Security Council, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters November 20: “I think it’s another example of the regrettable lack of consensus that we’ve seen in the Security Council between Member States and frankly, the lack of implementation of previous resolutions on Gaza”.
For his part, the Secretary-General will continue in to support all efforts to see an end to the conflict in Gaza, to achieve the unconditional release of all hostages and to implement the two-state solution, he added.
Dujarric also pointed out that the lack of unity among Member States, lack of unity among the Permanent Five “makes our job that much more challenging.”
Unity from the P5, unity from the Security Council as a whole, gives the Secretary-General clearer guidance on how to move on issues politically.
“I’m not going into analysing the motivation behind the various vetoes we’ve seen from the permanent members, but I think especially on humanitarian and political situations, unity is better for the brand. Let me put it that way”, said Dujarric.
Coincidentally, the 193-member General Assembly is currently debating the uses and abuses of veto powers by the P5.
Ambassador Gianluca Greco of Italy told delegates November 20 the veto power is “the problem”. While understandable in the specific historical context of 1945, nowadays it blatantly contradicts one of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter: that of sovereign equality of States, he said.
In too many occasions, he pointed out, it has prevented the Security Council from discharging its vital responsibilities with regard to situations endangering international peace and security, in which the UN could have made a real difference on the ground.
“Which is why Italy has consistently advocated for a Security Council reform that does not exacerbate further the functional malaises of the Council by adding new permanent members with veto powers”, he declared.
Speaking on behalf of Germany, Michael Geisler, Political Coordinator, told delegates limiting both the scope and actual use of the veto is essential for creating a more inclusive, transparent, and responsive Security Council.
“Germany strongly advocates for restraint in the exercise of the veto, particularly in cases involving mass atrocities and war crimes, in order to prioritize the protection of civilians in conflict situations. We call upon all Member States to support the ACT Code of Conduct and the French-Mexican Initiative on veto restraint”, he added. [IDN-InDepthNews]
Photo: A wide view of the UN Security Council as members vote on a draft resolution during the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider.
