The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) failed to adopt two draft resolutions on the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 25. The first resolution, led by the U.S., called for "humanitarian pauses" in fighting to allow aid access to Gaza. The second resolution by Moscow, which proposed "a humanitarian ceasefire" and unhindered aid into Gaza, failed to garner enough votes.
This was the fourth time in over a week that the UN Security Council, responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, failed to adopt a resolution and take unified action in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict that erupted on October 7.
UN Security Council ministerial meeting is held at United Nations headquarters in New York, U.S., October 25, 2023. United States appeals to consider humanitarian pauses of in the Israel-Hamas conflict for civilians in the Gaza Strip. /CFP
On October 18, Brazil, as the president of the Security Council in October, drafted a Gaza humanitarian cease-fire resolution, which explicitly condemned "heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas" and the U.S. was the only country to vote "no" since it didn't mention "Israel's right to self-defense."
"The claim by the U.S. consolidated ties between the U.S. and Israel, but caused dissatisfaction and condemnation from the international community, undermined the authority of the UN and is detrimental to the UN's role in maintaining international peace and security," Wang Guangda, the general secretary of China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development Council, said to CGTN.
According to the Council's rules, America's sole "no" vote meant that the resolution failed. After the veto, Brazil's ambassador to the United Nations, Sergio Franca Danese, expressed frustration. "Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza cannot wait any longer," he said. "Actually, they have waited far too long."
"Since 1970, the U.S. has used the veto far more than any other permanent member, hurting its soft power and reputation," Li Guofu, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said to CGTN.
Members of the Jewish community and supporters of Israel attend a rally calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas, in Times Square, New York, U.S., October 19, 2023. /CFP
A history of U.S. vetoes protecting Israel
"The United States has always been partial to Israel, as long as Israel exists, they are the fortress of the Middle East, so the United States will not allow Israel to have any missteps, which is the interests of the United States," Li Shaoxian, the head of an Arab research institute under Ningxia University, said to CMG.
U.S. response to the Security Council resolutions amid the conflict this time is in line with its historical use of its veto power to block any resolutions that might be critical of Israel or call for Palestinian statehood.
According to the UN, the United States has vetoed UNSC resolutions 84 times, including at least 54 times to block decisions that it regards as detrimental to the interests of Israel.
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) listens to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he joins a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023. /CFP
According to an analysis from U.S. News, Washington has given Israel more aid than any other nation since World War II, granting it more than $260 billion in combined military and economic aid since, plus about $10 billion more in contributions for missile defense systems like the Iron Dome. That's the most granted to any country throughout that time frame, and around $100 billion more than Egypt, the second-highest recipient historically.
"The United States is indeed defending its own interests in the Middle East, whether it is using force or so-called national transformation, it is putting its interests first and sacrificing the interest to the Middle East region," Wu Sike, former special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, said to CMG.
According to the UN, U.S. vetoes of resolutions condemning Israel's settlements date back to at least 1983. The most recent was in 2011, when a draft resolution aimed to reaffirm all Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of peace on the basis of the two-state solution.
Cries of hypocrisy and double standards
The U.S. veto generated criticisms of double standards and accusations that the United States, which had criticized Russia for paralyzing the Security Council on the Ukraine crisis, was hampering the work of the Council.
American unwavering support to Israel might an obstacle to establish relations between the U.S. and the Arab world, experts said to CGTN.
Arab leaders all lashed out in speeches at the Cairo peace summit at what they called "double standards."
"Anywhere else, attacking civilian infrastructure and deliberately starving an entire population of food, water, basic necessities would be condemned, accountability would be enforced," said King Abdullah II of Jordan. "International law loses all value if it is implemented selectively."
The U.S. has vehemently criticized the crisis in Ukraine but ignored the attacks on civilians in Gaza, which prompted cries of hypocrisy, said Li Guofu.