The US opposes the UN Security Council’s decision to suspend the fighting in Gaza Israel-Palestine Conflicts News

The vote marks the fourth time the Joe Biden administration has opposed the UNSC Gaza ceasefire since the start of the Israeli war.

The United States has opposed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s attacks on Palestinian territory continue.

The United States voted down the measure on Wednesday morning while 14 other council members voted in favor.

While the resolution called for the release of hostages held in Gaza, Washington expressed opposition to its demand for an “unconditional” ceasefire.

“We made it clear in all negotiations that we could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages,” said Robert Wood, the US deputy ambassador to the UN, during the session in New York.

“A strong end to the war must come with the release of the hostages. These two urgent goals are inextricably linked. This decision left that requirement, and for that reason, the United States could not support it.”

It is the fourth time that the administration of American President Joe Biden has opposed the decision to end the war in Gaza since the Israeli attack began in October last year.

To date, nearly 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardment of Gaza, further plunging the coastal region into a humanitarian crisis.

Biden – a staunch supporter of Israel – has faced widespread condemnation from rights advocates for his administration’s decision, including his refusal to provide aid to a top US ally during the war.

The US provides Israel with at least $3.8bn in military aid a year, and the Biden administration has approved $14bn in aid to the country since the Gaza conflict began.

Reporting from UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo said “the United States is clearly on an island alone”.

“It is worth repeating that this draft resolution is the result of weekly discussions,” reported Elizondo, adding that “there is clear frustration within the Security Council that there has been inaction in Gaza”.

Amar Bendjama, the UN ambassador to Algeria, expressed some of that frustration during Wednesday morning’s Security Council meeting.

“There was a lot of consensus during the negotiations, however one member chose to block any action – any action – in this council,” Bendjama said.

“Today’s message is clear, to the ruling powers in Israel first: ‘You can continue your extermination, you can continue punishing the Palestinian people with impunity. In this room, he enjoys insecurity.”

The Palestinian mission to the UN reiterated the importance of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Amid the genocide in Israel and the rise of ethnic groups and a dire humanitarian situation, calling for an end to the shooting is a moral, legal, and political imperative,” said a statement posted on social media.

Beth Miller, political director of the advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace, called the US veto “sad” and said the legacy of the Biden administration will be the massacre of people in Gaza.

“The fact that they continue to repeat that they are ‘working tirelessly’ to end the ceasefire while at the same time blocking ceasefire efforts and sending lethal weapons to the Israeli government … is a sick joke,” Miller told Al Jazeera. .