US vetoed another U.N. resolution for ceasefire in Gaza

 

On a bridge in Asheville, North Carolina. Banners made by Ken Jones.

UNITED NATIONS, November 20. 

The United States has used its veto right and blocked a UN Security Council draft resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a demand for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip prepared by the organization’s ten non-permanent members.

Fourteen of the 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the document. This is the fifth time that the United States has blocked resolutions providing for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip since tensions escalated in the Middle East last October.

The resolution was drafted by ten non-permanent members of the Security Council and consists of nine paragraphs, the first of which calls for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire respected by all parties. The document also calls for the release of all hostages held in the enclave, respect for international law by all parties, and humanitarian access to the civilian population of Gaza. The draft resolution also includes a clause stating that if the document is adopted, the UN Secretary General should submit a written report on the implementation of the resolution to the Security Council within three weeks.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, a total of 44,000 Palestinians have been killed and 104,000 injured in the enclave since tensions escalated last October.