The United Nations Security Council gathered on Thursday to deliberate over an Algerian-sponsored resolution concerning Gaza. The draft called for an immediate and unconditional halt to the fighting. It omitted any condemnation of Hamas, did not demand the immediate release of the hostages, and pressed for an end to limitations on humanitarian aid deliveries.
Although 14 members backed the proposal, the United States blocked its adoption by issuing a veto.
Morgan Ortagus, Counsellor at the US Mission to the UN, explained the American position: “US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise. It fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimises the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this Council…Gaza has humanitarian needs because of Hamas, because the international community turned a blind eye to the true use of billions of aid it provided.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, sharply criticized the resolution, remarking, “For some members of the Council, this is a performance. For Israel, this is a daily reality. The proposal was presented without condemnation of Hamas, without condemnation of the October 7 massacre, and without a demand for Hamas to disarm. This is not diplomacy, this is surrender.”
Danon continued, “Those who truly care about the future of Gaza should work to remove Hamas from Gaza. As long as the hostages are held by this brutal terrorist organization, there is and will be no ceasefire. Israel will continue to apply military pressure until all the hostages are returned.”
{Matzav.com}
