The United States votes against the UN resolution calling for an ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’ in Gaza.
This afternoon, February 20th, the United Nations Security Council proposed a resolution of an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. The United States vetoed this motion.
Currently, a battle looms in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, where more than one million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
Many fear this fight is imminent, and will cause the death toll from this war to climb higher. The passing of this resolution, which was proposed by Algeria, may have had the power to prevent a ground assault on Rafah.
According to UN OCHA, there are over 29,000 Palestinian deaths and more than 69,000 have been injured by Israeli forces since October 7, 2023. These numbers do not include any missing persons, which is estimated to be higher than 7,000.
The US was the only country on the 15-member Security Council to vote against the resolution. Being one of the 5 permanent members of the council, the United States’ vote in denial immediately vetoed the proposed resolution.
This marks the third time the United States has stopped a ceasefire.
The decision was met with backlash from Amar Bendjama, who acts as Algeria’s UN ambassador. Bendjama stated that voting against the proposal “implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them…We should ask ourselves how many innocent lives must be sacrificed before the council deems it necessary to call for a ceasefire.”
South Africa’s ambassador to The Hague, Vusimuzi Madonsela said “The international community’s unwillingness to hold Israel accountable for its practices encourages Israel to commit genocide in Gaza, the crime of crimes.” On February 13th, South Africa began urgently petitioning the ICJ to intervene and halt any altercation in Rafah.
Speaking at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Palestinian Ambassador became emotional: “What does international law mean for children in Gaza today? It has protected neither them nor their families.”
The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, expressed her view that the resolution would have adverse effects on the negotiations between Hamas and Israel regarding the release of hostages in Gaza.
As a response to denying the initially proposed resolution, the US has proposed a draft resolution that calls for a “temporary ceasefire” in Gaza. It notes that an offensive in Rafah would “have serious implications for regional peace and security…”
But the question remains: if the US is proposing a temporary ceasefire, why vote against the UN’s initial proposal?
The image to the right contains the results of a poll conducted by Gallup in December 2023. The poll began as a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas came to an end.
It’s important to note that the United States was the only vote against the ceasefire. The UK chose to abstain. The remaining 13 countries acting as Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution. This includes nations that previously withdrew aid to the UNRWA in Gaza (Japan, Switzerland, and France.)
Many Politicians across the world are speaking up in support of a ceasefire.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commented comparing Israel’s war on Gaza to Hitler’s treatment of Jewish people. “What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments,” Lula said.
“In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” he continued, referring to Nazi war crimes during World War Two.
Brazil also decided to recall its ambassador from Israel and expel the Israeli ambassador who was currently in Brazil.
Colombia’s President expresses full solidarity with President Lula of Brazil. “In Gaza, there is a genocide, and thousands of children and women are cowardly murdered. Lula has only spoken the truth, and the truth must be defended, or barbarism will annihilate us.”
Ireland stands strong with Palestine, with the Irish government refusing to cut funding to UNRWA in Gaza. The country is instead opting to allocate a new contribution of 20 million euros to the organization.
Many other nations have also refused to cut their funding for the UNRWA. This includes Slovenia and Portugal, who have both increased funding amounts. The Spanish government has also refused to cut funding for UNRWA in Gaza, stating “We consider the UNRWA funding cuts by some countries as an attack against humanity.”
Spain has also suspended all arms export licenses to Israel since October 7, 2023, and pledged an additional $3.8 million in aid for UNRWA in Gaza.
Other countries that have declared their intention to maintain UNRWA funding include Norway, Scotland, Luxembourg, and Belgium.
Even though these places are far away from here in Cortland, NY, there is still so much happening around us.
At the start of 2024, community members voiced the want for a local resolution calling for a ceasefire by the Tompkins Country Legislature (TCL). In a vote held at the beginning of this month, the TCL rejected a ceasefire resolution in a 7-6 vote.
At Ithaca College, there was a silent protest boycotting an event intended to provide multiple viewpoints on the Israel-Hamas war. Students, including many students apart of Ithaca College Students For Palestine (ICSFP), disagreed with the position of Uriel Abulof, one of the event’s speakers. Abulof is an instructor in the School of Continuing Education at Cornell University and an associate professor in the School of Political Science, Government, and International Affairs at Tel Aviv University.
When speaking to The Ithacan, ICSFP president Quincey Fireside said “He [Abulof] talks about the genocide as if it’s caused by political zealotry, rather than by white supremacy and anti-Muslim sentiments.” Fireside also stated that Abulof had a history of aligning with Israeli organizations and that the ICFSFP wanted more “stage time for the Palestinian and anti-Zionist community on campus.”
At Cornell’s campus back in November 2023, 200 students lied on the floor of Klarman Hall to symbolize the lives of innocent people killed in the war. While students laid on the ground, Malak Abuhashim, a member of the executive board of Cornell’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, read the names of Palestinian children who were one year old or younger and died.
Even during NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, protestors were demanding a resolution. Activists were spotted on screens across the nation with signs reading “Let Gaza Live” and “Ceasefire Now” during the 3-point and dunk contests.
There have been many other peaceful protests, sit-ins, and movements happening all around the world in support of a ceasefire.
Al Jazeera highlights many protests held globally in THIS ARTICLE
Continue to read more from an American doctor volunteering in Gaza HERE. More from a Palestinian Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and an Anthropologist with a focus in Palestinian feminism HERE.
The United States veto of the UN ceasefire resolution in Gaza has made global outcry stronger. As the humanitarian crisis worsens, calls for immediate action intensify. Despite diplomatic complexities, the imperative for peace and relief for civilians remains urgent. The world awaits further efforts toward a ceasefire and lasting peace.