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US Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield vetoes: "Sometimes tough diplomacy takes more time than any of us would like"
Photo: Seth Wenig / AP
The United States has once again blocked a draft resolution in the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war. The USA vetoed Council Member Algeria's proposed resolution. Given concerns about an impending Israeli military offensive in the area around the city of Rafah, the proposal was widely supported by the remaining council members: 13 of the 15 council members voted in favor of the draft, while Great Britain abstained.
The USA had already announced that it wanted to exercise a veto. Israel's close ally had tried in recent days to prevent a vote on the Algerian text. According to the company's own statements, this should be done in order not to endanger important negotiations for the release of hostages between Israel and the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. According to observers, Washington was also concerned with using a veto not to be seen as a pioneer of Israel's conduct of war, which is increasingly being criticized.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield defended the American approach immediately before the vote in the most powerful UN body. The adoption of a resolution could have led to "the fighting between Hamas and Israel expanding." It's about forcing Hamas to agree to a deal with Israel. “Sometimes tough diplomacy takes more time than any of us would like,” says Thomas-Greenfield. She understands the Council's desire to act urgently.
In the past few months, the USA has already used three vetoes to protect Israel from Security Council resolutions. The USA's blockade stance has recently caused increasing frustration among the vast majority of the 15 council members. According to a senior official, the negotiations behind closed doors became significantly more emotional. If the US vetoed it, it would have to "take responsibility for everything that happens afterwards," a high-ranking representative in the Council said before the vote. "If Rafah happens, there will be no going back."
While Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya strongly condemned the US actions, Chinese representative Zhang Jun said: "Given the situation on the ground, the continued passive avoidance of an immediate ceasefire is nothing other than giving the green light for further slaughter." France Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière spoke of a “guilt” that the Security Council had to free itself from.
The Israeli army is preparing to invade Rafah to, according to its own statements, destroy the remaining Hamas battalions and free suspected hostages there. However, the Israeli government has not yet issued an operational order. Military action in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip is highly controversial because 1.5 million Palestinians are crowded there, most of whom had already fled fighting in other parts of the coastal area. Aid organizations also point to a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
Release of hostages by Ramadan questionable
Benny Gantz, minister in Israel's war cabinet, made it clear on Sunday: "The world must know and the Hamas leaders must know that if our hostages are not home by Ramadan, the fighting will continue and spread to Rafah." However, it is uncertain whether international mediators will be able to negotiate a ceasefire and the release of hostages by the start of the Muslim fasting month on March 10.
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