US yet again casts veto of UNSC resolution on the Israel-Hamas war ceasefire

The United States again vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution seeking a ceasefire on the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday. 

The US yet again blocked a demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as it instead pushed the 15-member body to call for a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Thirteen council members voted favouring the Algerian-drafted resolution, while Britain abstained.

This was the US’s third veto since the start of the current fighting on October 7 which has left around 30,000 Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli forces.

“A vote in favour of this draft resolution is support to the Palestinians’ right to life. Conversely, voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them,” Algeria’s UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama told the council before the vote.

Reacting to the development, Palestinian envoy to UN Riyad Mansour termed the US veto of the ceasefire resolution for the third time as “absolutely reckless and dangerous”.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield had already signalled on Saturday that the US would veto the draft resolution over concerns it could jeopardize talks between the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar that seek to broker a pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“Any action this council takes right now should help, not hinder these sensitive, and ongoing negotiations. And we believe that the resolution on the table right now would, in fact, negatively impact those negotiations,” Thomas-Greenfield told the council ahead of the vote.

On the other hand, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman earlier on Tuesday said that talks on a ceasefire and prisoner swap between Hamas and Tel Aviv will continue despite challenges.

The spokesperson expressed disappointment over the failure of international institutions to bring an end to the Israeli aggression in the besieged enclave, as reported by Al Jazeera.