By By Micheal Chukwuebuka
THE United States exercised its veto to block a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, shielding its ally Israel from mounting international pressure.
The other 14 members of the Council voted in favour of the motion, which was introduced in August following the UN’s formal declaration of famine after nearly two years of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Palestinian territory.
The vote coincided with intensified Israeli military operations, as tanks and warplanes pounded Gaza City in a major new ground offensive that forced thousands of Palestinians to flee southwards. The draft resolution demanded “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties” along with the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.
Washington has repeatedly opposed such measures, most recently in June, when it similarly wielded its veto to back Israel.
Ahead of the vote, Denmark’s UN ambassador, Christina Lassen, urged Council members not to turn away from the crisis: “Let this resolution send a clear message, a message that the Security Council is not turning its back on starving civilians, on the hostages and the demand for a ceasefire.”
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