US vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire

Vote marks fourth time Joe Biden’s administration has vetoed a UNSC Gaza ceasefire resolution since Israel’s war began.

The United States has vetoed a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues.

The US voted down the measure on Wednesday morning while the 14 other members of the council voted in favour.

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

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

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