US Vetoes Gaza Ceasefire, Pakistan Calls It ‘Dark Moment’

Iftikhar Ali

New York: The United States on Thursday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and the lifting of all restrictions on aid deliveries to the besieged Palestinian enclave. Pakistan “profoundly” regretted the veto against what it described as a purely humanitarian text.

The resolution, sponsored by the Council’s 10 elected members, secured 14 votes in favor but was blocked by Washington — the sixth US veto since the nearly two-year Israeli war in Gaza began. More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict, according to Gaza health authorities.

The vote came during the Council’s 10,000th meeting, held against the backdrop of famine and widespread hunger in Gaza as Israel presses its offensive to capture Gaza City.

The draft also demanded the release of all hostages held by Hamas, the lifting of Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid, and safe distribution of assistance by UN agencies and partners.

The 10 elected members behind the resolution were Pakistan, Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia. The five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — hold veto power.

Presiding over the meeting, South Korea chaired the Council’s proceedings as this month’s rotating president.

Explaining Washington’s position, US delegate Morgan Ortagus said the text failed to condemn Hamas or acknowledge Israel’s right to self-defense. She argued that the draft “wrongly legitimizes false narratives benefiting Hamas” and “seeks to return to a failed system” that allowed the group to strengthen itself.

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad called the US action “a dark moment” in the Council’s history. “On the eve of the 80th General Assembly Session and the High-Level week, and at the 10,000th meeting – what a dark moment in this Chamber,” he said.

He warned that blocking the resolution in the face of immense human suffering risked being seen as enabling it. “Those who have chosen this course must review their position,” he urged, stressing that “every hour of obstruction deepens the wound and aggravates the suffering of the people of Gaza.”

The envoy highlighted the dire humanitarian conditions: famine threatening to engulf Gaza, dozens of lives lost daily, mass displacement, and expanding illegal settlements in the West Bank. He called this “a stark manifestation of settler colonialism in the 21st century.”

Reiterating Pakistan’s “unwavering” support for the Palestinian people, he called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, an end to the blockade, unhindered humanitarian access, and a just solution based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a sovereign Palestinian state.

“We stand on the side of humanity, justice, and international law,” Ambassador Ahmad declared. “The world is watching. The cries of children should pierce our hearts, the anguish of mothers should shake our conscience. Palestine looks to this Council — and we cannot turn away.”

Algeria’s UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama apologized to Palestinians after the vote: “Despite sincere efforts, this Security Council was not of any help for you.” Palestine’s UN envoy Riyadh Mansoor urged the world not to “fail them any longer.”

Israel’s Ambassador Danny Danon dismissed the proceedings as “theatre,” claiming Hamas was “the only beneficiary of this stage drama.”