The negative vote was issued when the council of 15 members celebrated its 10,000 in the context of the famine that extended in the besieged enclave and an ongoing Israeli offensive to take total control of the city of Gaza.
The resolution also demanded the release of all hostages in the hands of Hamas and Israel to raise all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and ensure that the population is safely distributed, in particular by UN agencies and partners.
‘It’s not a surprise’: United States representative
The United States is one of the five members of the Permanent Council that has the right to veto.
Speaking before the vote, representative Morgan Ortago declared that Washington’s opposition to the resolution “will not be a surprise” since he does not condemn Hamas or recognizes Israel’s right to defend himself.
The text also “erroneously legitimizes the false narratives that benefit Hamas, who have sadly found currency in this advice,” he said.
“This resolution also refuses to recognize and seeks to return to a failed system that has allowed Hamas to enrich and strengthen at the expense of civilians in need.”
‘Clear message’ sent
The draft was presented by the 10 non -permanent members of the Council: Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia.
“Although this resolution was not adopted today at this 10,000th Council meeting, 14 members of this Council have sent a clear message,” said Danish ambassador Christina Markus Lasen.
“We want to see a high immediate and lasting fire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the urgent lifting of all restrictions in humanitarian aid. We will continue working for this for many meetings of the Council that you can take.”
Gaza’s War broke out on October 7, 2023 after Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, with 48 still in captivity.
The Security Council met for the first time in the crisis the next day, behind closed doors. Since then, the United States has vetoed four other resolutions that ask for a high fire, more recently in June.
According to Gaza’s health authorities, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since hostilities began, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
A historical occasion
South Korea has the presidency of the Rotant Security Council for the month of September.
At the beginning of the meeting, representative Sangjin Kim said that the number of 10,000 was “large and significant, such as the challenges that we have left before us on the agenda of this Council.”
He said that “137 Member States have worked on the Council, often in concert,” during this period.
“Let’s take this into account while we continue to fight to comply with the vital mandate of the Security Council.”
Maintain peace and security
The Security Council is one of the six main bodies of the UN, together with the General Assembly, the Secretariat, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Trust Council and the International Court of Justice (ICI).
The Council has the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and takes measures through resolutions and decisions. It also establishes peace maintenance missions and can promulgate sanctions.
The five permanent members, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, have the right to veto any resolution and have all exercised this power at some point.
Permanent members were granted the right to veto due to their key roles in the UN establishment 80 years ago, and Russia took over the seat held by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1990.
The 10 non -permanent members are elected by the General Assembly, which includes all 193 UN Member States and serve for periods of two years.