Palestine Permanent Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour has criticized the United States at the UN General Assembly, accusing the country of repeatedly misusing its veto power to reject proposed ceasefires in Gaza. In his comments, Mansour states that Israel has been committing “genocide, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid” against Palestinians for decades, a situation he attributes to the certainty of the perpetrators that they will never be held to account.
The ambassador urged members of the UN to call for an immediate ceasefire and stressed the importance of ending Israel’s impunity. This plea comes after the US, a leading member of the United Nations, vetoed three prior ceasefire proposals supported by other member nations.
- In October 2023, Brazil proposed the first resolution, condoning the attacks on Israel that took place on October 7 and urging a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid entry to Gaza. However, the US vetoed the resolution.
- The second proposal fell in December 2023, with the UN Security Council appealing for a humanitarian ceasefire drawing on Article 99 of the UN charter. The article essentially allows the Secretary-General to alert the Security Council of potential threats to international peace. Despite the failure to pass this proposal, the General Assembly did adopt one during an Emergency Special Session on December 13, 2023.
- The third resolution, presented by Algeria to the UN Security Council in February 2024, was also vetoed by the US.
US ambassadors at the United Nations argue that the proposed ceasefires do not stipulate the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, a condition they deem mandatory for either temporary or permanent ceasefires. They also maintain that no peace agreement can be reached as long as Hamas controls Gaza.
More details about this situation can be found here.