US Vetoes UN Resolution Urging Immediate Cease-Fire, Hostage Release In Gaza

Authored by Evgenia Filimianova via The Epoch Times,

The United States on Sept. 18 vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the release of hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas, and the lifting of Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid, blocking a measure backed by the other 14 members of the 15-nation body.

U.S. Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus said Washington could not support the resolution because it would have locked in a cease-fire with Hamas still in control of Gaza.

“The United States will never accept this. President Trump will never accept this. He has made clear, all 48 hostages must be released now,” she said. “This resolution also refuses to acknowledge and seeks to return to a failed system that has allowed Hamas to enrich and strengthen itself at the expense of civilians in need.”

There has been mounting international pressure on Israel, including by governments and aid groups, as the conflict approaches its two-year mark.

The resolution was introduced by Denmark on behalf of the council’s elected members.

Denmark’s representative to the U.N., Christina Markus Lassen, said the measure aimed to address what she described as a “humanitarian and human failure” in Gaza and “contribute to the end of this abhorrent war.” Lassen said that famine in Gaza has been confirmed.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a U.N.-backed body, said in August that nearly 514,000 people in Gaza are experiencing famine, a claim Israel has rejected.

Ortagus said the resolution failed to “recognize the reality on the ground” and a “meaningful increase in the flow of humanitarian aid.” She said that U.N. data showed about 85 percent of aid sent to Gaza since May 19 had been intercepted, stressing that it must reach civilians in need rather than sustain Hamas.

Ortagus added that the U.N. and Security Council members should support the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and other mechanisms, which deliver aid to civilians while denying resources to Hamas.

Ahead of the vote, Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, said in a social media post that “resolutions against Israel will not free the hostages or bring security.”

“Israel will continue to fight Hamas and protect its citizens, even if the Security Council prefers to turn a blind eye to terrorism,” he said.

Speaking in London on Sept. 18, Trump also stressed the need to focus on the Israeli hostages.

“We have to remember October 7, one of the worst, most violent days in the history of the world,” he said. “We have to have the hostages back immediately.”

Israel says its actions in Gaza, including the ongoing military offensive in the enclave, aim to disarm Hamas, achieve the release of all Israeli hostages, and create a civilian administration unaffiliated with either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

Israel has rejected the findings of a Sept. 16 U.N. report stating that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Security Council Frustration

The draft resolution on Thursday failed with 14 votes in favor and one against. Under council rules, a single negative vote by a permanent member prevents adoption. The U.S. veto drew criticism from council members and regional representatives.

France called on Hamas to be disarmed and excluded from governance, but also pressed Israel to allow unhindered humanitarian aid.

Algeria’s ambassador, Amar Bendjama, apologized to Palestinians for not doing enough to save civilians’ lives.

Somalia’s envoy, Abukar Dahir Osman, said not passing the resolution was “a profound moral failure” that reflects a dangerous logic that “the suffering of some is more tolerable than the suffering of others, and that the lives of certain people matter less.”

“The moment we measure the worth of human life by nationality, ethnicity or circumstances, we lose the very foundation upon which this institution was built,” he added.

Pakistan described the veto as a “dark moment,” while the Russian delegate warned “there will be no breakthrough” so long as the United States “does not change the lens through which it regards the crisis in Gaza.”

Other members, including Greece, Slovenia, Panama, and South Korea, echoed concerns about famine and called for renewed efforts to secure both a cease-fire and the release of hostages.

Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour said failure to pass the resolution came at “a great cost” for the council’s “credibility and authority,” adding that the use of the veto in such situations “should simply not be allowed.”

US Allies Expected to Back Palestinian Statehood

Key Western allies, including France, the UK, Canada, and Australia, are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood at the U.N. summit in New York City on Sept. 22.

Israel and the United States oppose the push for recognition, saying it rewards Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

Washington has said recognition can only come as part of a negotiated agreement with Israel.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the onset of the conflict in Gaza. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in the count. The Epoch Times cannot verify the accuracy of the figure.