Russia and China used their veto power at the United Nations Security Council on Friday to block a resolution drafted by the United States on a ceasefire in Gaza, with Moscow accusing Washington of a “hypocritical spectacle” that does not pressure the Zionist entity.
The vote on the US resolution garnered 11 votes for, three votes against, and one abstention.
Russia and China both exercised their veto against the resolution, which would have spoken of the “imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire” and condemned the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by Hamas.
Russia & China veto US resolution on Gaza ceasefire at UNSC pic.twitter.com/JUiNXM2CJp
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) March 22, 2024
Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya, said the draft resolution “contains an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah.”
He added that Russia “will no longer tolerate pointless resolution which do not contain a call for a ceasefire which lead us to nowhere.”
As Russia said that the formulation was too weak, China said it supported “meaningful actions” by the UNSC without declaring its support for the resolution.
Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the UN said the text “has always evaded and dodged the most central issue, that of a ceasefire.”
“The final text remains ambiguous and does not call for an immediate ceasefire nor does it even provide an answer to the question of realizing a ceasefire in the short term,” the Chinese envoy said.
Following Chinese/Russian veto of #UNSC draft reso, @ChinaAmbUN says the text “has always evaded and dodged the most central issue, that of a ceasefire. The final text remains ambiguous and does not call for an immediate ceasefire nor does it even provide an answer to the… pic.twitter.com/6ADtIt90RT
— Rami Ayari (@Raminho) March 22, 2024
Algeria, a non-permanent member of the UNSC, voted with Russia and China against the resolution.
The representative of Algeria at the United Nations said the US resolution did not address the core concerns of Arab countries in “the urgency of an immediate ceasefire to prevent the loss of more lives and the immediate cessation of hostilities.”
“Regrettably, the draft resolution falls short of our expectations,” he said.
The US has used its veto at the Security Council several times since the war started on Oct. 7 to block resolutions calling for a ceasefire.
In February, the United States vetoed an Algerian-sponsored ceasefire draft resolution that it said would jeopardize the ongoing negotiations to free the remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Source: Agencies
