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U.S. Vetoes Security Council Resolution on ‘Humanitarian Pause’ in Gaza

The popular draft measure would have condemned all violence against civilians and called for “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid delivery.

The United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday that would have called for “humanitarian pauses” in the bloody conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group to allow aid to reach besieged Gaza. The popular Brazil-drafted measure would also have condemned all violence against civilians, including the “heinous” terror attacks by Hamas. Of the 15 members of the Security Council, 12 voted in favor of the resolution on Wednesday, while Russia and Britain abstained. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the American ambassador to the United Nations, told the council after the vote that the U.S. wants more time to allow on-the-ground diplomacy, including President Joe Biden’s ongoing visit to the region, to “play out.” Thomas-Greenfield also criticized the draft for failing to mention Israel’s right to self defense, a note echoed by British Ambassador Barbara Woodward. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, who had unsuccessfully tried to introduce an amendment to the draft calling for a “humanitarian cease-fire,” slammed the U.S. over the veto, accusing it of “hypocrisy.”