<\/p>\n
04 June 2025<\/p>\n
9929th Meeting (PM)<\/p>\n
The Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution aiming to ameliorate the plight of civilians in Gaza, as the United States vetoed the measure despite affirmative votes by the other 14 members of the 15-nation organ.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are moments when silence is more eloquent than language,\u201d observed Algeria\u2019s representative \u2014 \u201ctoday is one of those\u201d. \u00a0However, he added:\u00a0 \u201cBut silence cannot defend the dead; it cannot hold the hand of the dying; it cannot confront the machinery of injustice.\u201d\u00a0 Therefore \u201cwe must speak \u2014 loudly\u201d, he proclaimed \u2014 not to state a position, \u201cbut for the sake of memory, of morality and of the human spirit\u201d. \u00a0Today\u2019s resolution \u2014 even in its obstruction \u2014 is a mirror that \u201creflects the agony of multilateralism\u201d and \u201creveals why the Israeli occupier continues its crimes\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
Today, the Council\u2019s elected members stood with clarity, conviction and courage \u2014 \u201cthey are the proud bearer of moral legitimacy, they are the true compass of the world\u2019s conscience\u201d, he stressed. \u00a0He underscored that the Council should have acted to impose a ceasefire in Gaza \u2014 \u201cfor the killing of Palestinian children to not become a mere pastime\u201d; \u201cfor starvation not to be legitimized as a weapon\u201d; and \u201cfor future generations to not grow up scorning international law\u201d. \u00a0Stressing that today\u2019s vote \u201cis not a conclusion\u201d, he quoted a recent statement by his country\u2019s President:\u00a0 \u201cAlgeria will not abandon Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n
That statement immediately followed the Council\u2019s failure to adopt today\u2019s resolution. \u00a0That draft text, introduced by the representative of Slovenia on behalf of the 10 elected members of the Council, would have demanded a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. \u00a0However, it was defeated by a vote of 14 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions. \u00a0(As a permanent Council member cast a negative vote, the text was not adopted.)<\/p>\n
The representative of that member \u2014 the United States \u2014 said before the vote that her country\u2019s opposition to the draft \u201cshould come as no surprise\u201d. \u00a0The text, she stressed, \u201cis unacceptable for what it does say, it is unacceptable for what it does not say and it is unacceptable for the manner in which it has been advanced\u201d. \u00a0She underscored:\u00a0 \u201cAny product that undermines our close ally Israel\u2019s security is a non-starter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding that the Council cannot be allowed to \u201creward Hamas\u201d, she stated that the text also \u201cdraws false equivalence\u201d between that group and Israel. \u00a0Additionally, the permanent ceasefire envisioned by the text would leave Hamas in a position to carry out future attacks. \u00a0She also said that the draft does not acknowledge the disastrous shortcomings of prior methods of aid delivery, which allowed Hamas to enrich itself at the expense of Palestinians. \u00a0\u201cPerformative actions designed to draw a veto\u201d, she stressed, are harmful while delicate diplomacy is at work.<\/p>\n
However, the representative of Slovenia stressed after the vote:\u00a0 \u201cIt was never our intention to provoke a veto.\u201d \u00a0As such, the draft resolution had only one focus \u2014 \u201ca humanitarian one\u201d, he noted \u2014 as briefings to the Council on this issue have become increasingly distressing. \u00a0\u201cJust ashes and sorrow,\u201d he observed. \u00a0Starving civilians and inflicting immense suffering is inhumane, against international law and not justified by any war objective. \u00a0\u201cWe had hoped \u2014 and expected \u2014 that this was our shared understanding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s resolution would have constituted the \u201cbare minimum\u201d for the \u201cfirst-aid kit\u201d that the international community must provide to ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians, underscored the representative of the Russian Federation. \u00a0Yet, once again, the Council could not adopt a product that would have spared Gaza and the region from descending further into chaos. \u00a0\u201cWe all today have another opportunity to see who really wants peace in the Middle East, and who wants to continue playing political games,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Other delegations also spotlighted the text as the least the Council could do to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. \u00a0\u201cIt represented the lowest common denominator\u201d that \u201cwe should be able to defend\u201d, stressed Panama\u2019s representative, adding that nothing in the text disregards Israel\u2019s security concerns. \u00a0Sierra Leone\u2019s representative, too, said that the draft \u201crepresented the bare minimum required to address the worsening, catastrophic humanitarian situation\u201d. \u00a0She warned:\u00a0\u201cThe cost of inaction will be borne by an entire generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
In that vein, Somalia\u2019s representative urged Israel to fulfil its international obligations and end its occupation:\u00a0 \u201cThis is the only path to sustainable peace in the Middle East and for the future of many children to come.\u201d \u00a0International law is clear, underscored Denmark\u2019s representative. \u00a0Humanitarian aid must never be politicized, used as a bargaining chip nor employed as part of a military strategy, she said, adding:\u00a0 \u201cWe have all seen the chaotic scenes at the recently set-up aid distribution sites.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe witness, every day, on our screens, the agonizing killing of innocent Palestinians, including children,\u201d the representative of the Republic of Korea said, also noting the recent chaos at the new aid-distribution sites. \u00a0\u201cWe are also extremely concerned about the horrific conditions that Israeli hostages, still brutally held by Hamas, are forced to endure,\u201d he added. \u00a0However, blocking or throttling humanitarian aid for millions of people cannot ensure the safe return of hostages, he pointed out.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s representative joined these and other Council members to also take issue with the aid-delivery mechanism promoted by the United States and Israel, as it violates the principles of impartiality and neutrality. \u00a0\u201cThis mechanism has even become a death trap,\u201d he stressed, noting the repeated incidents of civilian casualties near distribution sites and underscoring that military means are not the solution. \u00a0The United Kingdom\u2019s representative concurred:\u00a0 \u201cThis Israeli Government\u2019s decision to expand its military operations in Gaza and severely restrict aid are unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeace cannot be maintained by force,\u201d stated Greece\u2019s representative \u2014 \u201cit can only be achieved by understanding\u201d. \u00a0While joining several others in condemning Hamas\u2019 terrorist attacks, he urged Israel to allow the immediate, unhindered flow of humanitarian aid \u2014 at scale \u2014 throughout the entire Gaza Strip. \u00a0The partial resumption of aid delivery is hardly sufficient, he added, stating that reports about the deaths of those seeking aid are \u201csimply unthinkable\u201d.<\/p>\n
France\u2019s representative observed:\u00a0 \u201cWe all know the tragedy taking place under our very eyes in Gaza \u2014 not many words are needed.\u201d \u00a0Providing humanitarian aid cannot be conditioned on a ceasefire, nor can it be used for political purposes. \u00a0While the Council should condemn Hamas\u2019 attack, he urged the organ to also work towards a \u201cconcrete implementation of the two-State solution\u201d. \u00a0For its part, France will continue working towards this objective by co-chairing, with Saudi Arabia, a conference on that solution over 17-20\u00a0June.<\/p>\n
The representative of Pakistan also spotlighted that conference, while underscoring that the Council\u2019s failure to adopt today\u2019s text is \u201canother low in the history of this august body\u201d. \u00a0The veto cast sends the signal that the lives of over 2\u00a0million starved and besieged Palestinians are dispensable. \u00a0While the Council deliberated, Gaza was decimated, and he stated that to kill civilians seeking bread and water is to criminalize survival. \u00a0\u201cAid dropped from the sky or delivered under armed escort is not a solution, it is a spectacle,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
For his part, the representative of Yemen \u2014 speaking for the Arab Group \u2014 concurred that the Council\u2019s failure today seriously undermines its mandate. \u00a0Urging more action to protect the Palestinian people, he expressed support for mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. \u00a0However, it is vital to resume the entry of humanitarian aid and end Israel\u2019s occupation, he stressed, pointing out that such aid has become a method for forced displacement.<\/p>\n
While thanking the 14 Council members who voted in favour of today\u2019s text, the observer of the State of Palestine pointed to the \u201cengineered starvation\u201d wrought upon his people. \u00a0\u201cAn entire civilian population\u201d, he said, is brought to the \u201cedge of famine\u201d, and aid is then used to lure and confine them to an extremely limited area of the Strip \u2014 \u201cclearly to facilitate their expulsion and annexation\u201d. \u00a0Noting the Council\u2019s failure to act, he asked: \u00a0\u201cYou cannot even say something about that?\u201d<\/p>\n
He also questioned whether the Council has anything to say about Israel breaking the fundamental rules of international law \u2014 \u201cof basic humanity\u201d. \u00a0While noting his expectation that the elected members\u2019 minimal demands \u2014 \u201cdirected by humanity, by legality, by morality\u201d \u2014 would have received unanimous support, he recalled that they were instead met with a veto. \u00a0Meanwhile, efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to realize a ceasefire have yet to meet success. \u00a0He asked:\u00a0\u201cDoes that mean Israel can continue its destruction of the Gaza Strip \u2014 and all life within it \u2014 while the negotiations continue?\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Israel\u2019s representative said:\u00a0 \u201cToday, this Council stood at a crossroads, and most of you chose wrong \u2014 you chose appeasement and submission.\u201d \u00a0Nevertheless, he thanked the United States for standing on the right side and refusing to abandon the hostages. \u00a0Israel had accepted multiple versions of the United States-backed proposal, but Hamas has rejected every deal, every offer, every opportunity. \u00a0Further, he said that the text undermines humanitarian aid, while the new aid-delivery mechanism is operational and \u201cis doing what the old system could not \u2014 stopping Hamas from stealing it\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI listened to all of you,\u201d he said, adding that only a few condemned Hamas. \u00a0Instead of applying pressure where it belongs, most of the Council is applying it on the country working to bring its people back home. \u00a0Military pressure works, he emphasized, reaffirming commitment to bringing all hostages home. \u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t waste more of your time,\u201d he told those present, referring to the General Assembly emergency meeting that will be triggered by today\u2019s veto. \u00a0He added that no resolution, no vote, \u201cwill stand in our way\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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