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By: Nathaniel Ballantyne
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has five permanent members with veto power (U.S., Russia, France, China, and Great Britain), which allows any of these members to stop adopting a resolution, no matter how righteous and important the resolution is. The permanent members often use their veto power to protect their interests and those of their allies during war and peacetime.
Historically, the U.S. has used its veto power to protect Israel no matter how inhumane Israel’s actions against the Palestinians. The war in Gaza and the accusation of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice justified a much-needed reform inside the United Nations. No country should have the power to stop a majority-voted resolution.
The continued genocide in Gaza by Israel demonstrates once again why the Security Council must be reformed. No member of the U.N. Security Council should have veto power. There should be a system of one country, one vote, and the majority wins, just like in the U.N. General Assembly.
Earlier this week (February 20, 2024), the United States again vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Israel’s war on Gaza, prompting widespread criticism from rivals and allies alike.
This action was the third U.S. veto of a UNSC resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. It came a day after Washington proposed its resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire conditioned upon the release of all Israeli captives from the Palestinian enclave.
The vote in the 15-member council was 13-1, with the United Kingdom abstaining, reflecting the strong support from countries around the globe for ending the devastating conflict that has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians.
The world has criticized the United States for giving the green light to Israel to continue the slaughter of thousands of Palestinian children, women, and older people.
According to the Xinhua news agency, Zhang Jun, China’s envoy to the U.N., expressed “strong disappointment and dissatisfaction” with the U.S..
“The U.S. veto sends a wrong message, pushing the situation in Gaza into a more dangerous one,” said Zhang, adding that objection to a ceasefire in Gaza is “nothing different from giving the green light to the continued slaughter.”
Russia’s Ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, said the U.S. veto marked “another black page in the history of the Security Council.”
He accused the U.S. of trying to play for time so that Israel could complete its “inhumane plans” for Gaza, namely to squeeze the Palestinians out of the territory and thoroughly “cleanse” the enclave.
Algeria’s envoy said the UNSC has “failed once again” and warned the move could have profound consequences for the Middle East.
“Our message to you today is that the international community should respond to the calls for ending the killing of Palestinians by calling for an immediate ceasefire. All those impeding such calls should review their policies and calculations because wrong decisions today will have a cost on our region and our world tomorrow. And this cost will be violence and instability,” Amar Bendjama said.
How far will the United States go in its support for Israel? Why does the U.S. provide unconditional support to a Zionist regime bent on genocide? Could the war in Gaza spread in the Middle East, causing more insecurity and deaths?
