On Friday afternoon, there was a draft resolution brought by the United Arab Emirates, and co-sponsored by 97 countries, calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war. The United States was the only “No” vote, while 13 other members of the UN Security Council voted “Yes”. The UK voted to abstain.
Current members of the UN Security Council include the five permanent members (the US, UK, China, France, and Russia) and 10 non-permanent members elected every two years by the General Assembly ( currently: Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates).
US Ambassador Robert Wood stated before the vote:
While the United States strongly supports a durable peace in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate ceasefire. This would only plant the seeds for the next war – because Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace, to see a two-state solution,
#BREAKING U.N. Security Council rejects call by UAE-draft Resolution – co-sponsored by 97 nations -demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire – due to U.S. veto
Vote 13 Yes, 1 No (US) 1 Abstain (UK)
‼️ U.S. before the vote: “While the United States strongly supports a… pic.twitter.com/EUCuSmB2Ox
— Pamela Falk CBS News Correspondent United Nations (@PamelaFalk) December 8, 2023
In a statement released by US Ambassador Wood, he states:
American diplomacy opened the way for the first trucks that flowed into Gaza with aid. In partnership with Qatar and Egypt, it helped reunite more than 100 hostages with their loved ones and dramatically expanded aid to civilians in Gaza, during a seven-day long humanitarian pause.
Hamas, however, has a different set of goals. Its refusal to release young women hostages led to a breakdown in the pause and resumption of the fighting.
This Council’s failure to condemn Hamas’ October 7th terrorist attacks – including its acts of sexual violence and other unthinkable evils – is a serious moral failure. And it underscores the fundamental disconnect between the discussions that we have been having in this Chamber and the realities on the ground.
An undeniable part of that reality is that if Israel unilaterally laid down its weapons today, as some Member States have called for, Hamas would continue to hold hostages. Women and children. Elderly men. Many of whom, according to survivor accounts, are being subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment.
And as of today, Hamas continues to pose a threat to Israel and remain in charge of Gaza. That is not a threat that any one of our governments would allow to continue to remain on our own borders. Not after the worst attack on our people in several decades.
For that reason, while the United States strongly supports a durable peace in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate ceasefire. This would only plant the seeds for the next war – because Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace, to see a two-state solution.
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