U.S. President Joe Biden visited Israel in a show of support as his administration vetoed a U.N. resolution to condemn the violence against civilians and ease humanitarian aid for Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
After blocking the U.N. Security Council resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, which also would have condemned Hamas' "heinous terrorist attacks" against Israel, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized it as premature and flawed for not mentioning Israel has a right to defend itself. Human Rights Watch, however, described the U.S. veto as a cynical move.
The actions on Wednesday coincided with the White House's disclosure that a U.S. assessment of imagery, intercepts and open source information concluded Israel was “not responsible” for a hospital bombing in Gaza that killed at least 500 people and left hundreds more trapped under the rubble.
The Palestinians and Israelis traded blame for the horrific attack. Hamas attributed it to an Israeli airstrike; Israel's military said it was caused by a rocket misfired by other Palestinian militants.
More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel due to Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attacks. At least 3,500 people have been killed and more than 12,000 wounded in Gaza since Israel declared war and responded with air strikes.
More than 1 million people have fled their homes in Gaza in anticipation of an expected Israeli invasion to destroy Hamas and its leadership.
The United Nations and other international organizations warn that such an invasion – and Israel's order to citizens to flee the northern Gaza territory – are setting the stage for a major humanitarian crisis.
The council, which is the world body's most powerful arm, has held two open meetings on Gaza. Diplomats also have huddled to discuss the crisis in other closed-door sessions.
Letting diplomacy 'play out'
Brazil, which holds the 15-nation council's monthly rotating presidency, sponsored the resolution. It gained 12 votes, but any of the five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. – can veto a council resolution. Russia and the U.K. abstained.
"We are on the ground, doing the hard work of diplomacy. And while we recognize Brazil’s desire to move this text forward, we believe we need to let that diplomacy play out," Thomas-Greenfield said.
"This council must speak out, but the actions we take must be informed by the facts on the ground and support direct diplomacy efforts that can save lives," she said. "The United States is disappointed this resolution made no mention of Israel’s right of self-defense."
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S. of hypocrisy and said Brazil's proposed resolution wouldn’t have averted the hospital bombing since "only a cease-fire" could do that.
U.K. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her nation abstained from the vote because it must mention that Israel has a right to self-defence and that Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields.
Leading up to the vote the council rejected two Russian proposals to amend the resolution. On Monday, the council also shot down a Russian resolution that called for a humanitarian cease-fire and condemned attacks on civilians in Gaza, but did not mention Hamas.
The U.S. and Russia have been at loggerheads on the polarized council particularly since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. In Israel, Biden was meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden was also scheduled to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. But the regional summit was called off as outrage over the hospital bombing spread.
