The U.S. exercised its veto on the U.N. Security Council Friday to block a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The 13-1 vote in favor of the motion, with Britain abstaining, reflects the growing global pressure on both Israel and the United States as the civilian toll from the Gaza fighting grows by the day.
Israel agreed to a temporary cease-fire late last month to allow an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, but argues that another, open-ended cease-fire would only allow Hamas fighters to re-group and re-arm.
Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood criticized the council resolution for what he said was its failure to condemn the Hamas rampage on Oct. 7 that killed over 1,200 and started the latest round of fighting. He also said the measure did not recognize that Israel had the right to defend itself.
Imposing a humanitarian cease-fire now, he argued, would cement Hamas’ control of the Gaza enclave and “only plant the seeds for the next war.”
The Security Council met after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the first time invoked Article 99 of the U.N. Charter, which enables a U.N. chief to raise threats he sees to international peace and security.
Mr. Guterres has been outspoken in his calls for an end to the Gaza fighting, warning that “there is a high risk of the total collapse of the humanitarian support system in Gaza.”
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., told the 15 members of the council that Israel was pursuing “the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip” and “the dispossession and forcible displacement of the Palestinian people.”
“If you are against the destruction and displacement of the Palestinian people, you have to be in favor of an immediate cease-fire,” Mr. Mansour said, according to an Associated Press account.
British U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said London abstained because there was no condemnation of Hamas in the text of the resolution.
“Israel needs to be able to address the threat posed by Hamas and it needs to do so in a manner that abides by international humanitarian law so that such an attack can never be carried out again,” she said.
But Russian Deputy Charge d’Affaires Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters after the vote that the U.S. and British votes on the resolution would expose both countries to the charge of hypocrisy.
“One can speak cynically with nice empty words about democracy, human rights, women, peace, security, rules, order, as much as you like,” he said. “However, the real value of those we have just witnessed when two members of the Security Council preferred to remain complicit to the merciless Israeli bloodbath.”
• This article was based in part on wire service reports.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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