Trump sides with Netanyahu again, US vetoes UN resolution on Gaza ceasefire

The United States once again exercised its veto power in the UN Security Council on 18 September, Thursday, blocking a resolution that called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages”, claiming that it failed to ‘sufficiently condemn’ Hamas.

All the other 14 Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution, which stated that the situation in Gaza was “catastrophic” and urged Israel to remove all limits on aid delivery to the 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.

“US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise,” argued Morgan Ortagus, a senior US policy advisor, however. “It fails to condemn Hamas or recognise Israel's right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimises the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.”

Ortagus also commented that other council members “ignored” US warnings about the “unacceptable” language and chose “performative action designed to draw a veto”.

This outcome displays the increasing diplomatic isolation of the US and Israel regarding the nearly two-year war in Gaza — but also showcases exactly how much asymmetrical power they seem to wield over the whole world, even as there is equally failure to condemn Israel and the US’ plans to “clean out” Gaza from the UN and Europe, or other Global North nations now starting to finally talk of recognising Palestine as a nation after decades of mooting the two-state solution verbally and on paper.

While this was playing out, POTUS Donald Trump — on a visit to the UK — was addressing a joint press conference with hosting prime minister Keir Starmer on their trade deals. A (Jewish) reporter put it to Trump, “You alone in the whole world have the power to persuade Netanyahu to stop the demolition of Gaza City, to stop the starvation of Palestine and stop the killing of civilians.”

The POTUS’ response to the (Jewish) reported: “But do you understand about 7 October [2023]?... We have to remember 7 October — one of the worst, most violent days in the history of the world... I want an end. I want the hostages released.”

The resolution drafted by the 14 members of the UN Security Council spoke of an immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages — those held by Hamas as well as any other groups. The US still said no. Was it really about the hostages and 7 October, then?

The US veto was cast just days before the annual UN General Assembly, where Gaza is set to dominate discussions and where US allies such as the UK and France are anticipated to formally recognise the Palestinian state — an action staunchly opposed by both Israel and the US, obviously. (India has been one of the first to acknowledge the nation of Palestine 1988, since its declaration of independence, notwithstanding the current Narendra Modi dispensation’s alliance with a Netanyahu-led Israel even as we pay lip service to wanting peace in West Asia.)

This latest ceasefire resolution, developed by the Security Council’s 10 elected members, explicitly highlighted the “deepening of suffering” of Palestinian civilians.

“I can understand the anger and frustration and disappointment of the Palestinian people who might be watching this session of the Security Council, hoping that there is some help in the pipeline, and this nightmare could be brought to an end,” said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN. “I can imagine the anger and frustration that it did not happen.”

Algeria, a leading force behind the resolution, also apologised to Palestinians, while its ambassador Amar Bendjama stated: “Fourteen courageous members of this Security Council raised their voice. They have acted with conscience and in the cause of the international public opinion.”

Pakistan’s ambassador described the vetoed vote as “a dark moment”. Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador Danny Danon rejected the effort, asserting, “Israel will continue to fight Hamas and protect its citizens, even if the Security Council prefers to turn a blind eye to terrorism.”

Demands within the resolution mirrored earlier calls for the release of all hostages taken in the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, which offered Israel’s logic of ‘self-defence’ for the current war on Gaza — the sixth over the last 16-odd years amid repeated ongoing conflicts and large-scape occupation of Palestinian territory (across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip) since the 1948 Nakba.

The US has maintained its opposition to several similar resolutions since November 2023, arguing that the ceasefire proposals and hostage release demands were not “directly linked” and that such measures risk “emboldening Hamas militants”. This despite Hamas having repeatedly stated their willingness, from the start, to release all hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held (often without trial or charges) by Israel — and a permanent exit of Israel from the Palestinian territory.

This latest resolution was significant, however, in the addition of “deep alarm” in the international community at the spread of famine in Gaza City, based on last month’s report from global food crisis experts, warning that without a ceasefire and greater humanitarian access, conditions would only worsen.

Israel’s military has meanwhile continued to escalate and widen its operations in Gaza City, with no announced timetable, after demanding that all of the city be evacuated by the 1 million residents ‘for their safety’ and signalling that the ground offensive could last for months. On 17 September, Wednesday, the IDF effected a communications blackout across Gaza City and the northern portion of the Gaza Strip — where already international media had no access, now local media cannot get the word out either, and locals cannot call for help from an ambulance even or reach out to their friends and relatives.

The same day, the UN Human Rights Council experts issued a report formally accusing Israel of committing genocide — and again escalating calls from the international community to end the conflict and hold perpetrators accountable.

Last week, the UN General Assembly passed another resolution supporting a two-state solution and urging Israel to commit to a Palestinian state.

According to a recent Associated Press–NORC poll, “about half of Americans say the Israeli military response in the Gaza Strip has ‘gone too far’”, representing a notable shift in American public opinion (though even in November 2023, already 40 per cent said Israel's retaliation was disproportionate) — even as overall political support for prioritising the ceasefire negotiations has waned, especially among Republicans. (Could that be because POTUS Donald Trump does not see much chance of success there to help him to the Nobel Peace Prize he'd hoped for?)