U.S. vetoes ceasefire demand, as UN Secretary-General warns Gaza ‘at breaking point’

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The United States on Friday vetoed a United Nations Security Council demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, diplomatically isolating Washington as it shields its ally.

Thirteen members voted in favour of a brief draft resolution, put forward by the United Arab Emirates, while Britain abstained. The vote came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a rare move on Wednesday to formally warn the 15-member council of a global threat from the two-month long war.

“What is the message we are sending Palestinians if we cannot unite behind a call to halt the relentless bombardment of Gaza?” Deputy UAE UN Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab asked the council.

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The United States and Israel oppose a ceasefire because they believe it would only benefit Hamas. Washington instead supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and allow the release of hostages taken by Hamas in a deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told the council that the draft resolution was an imbalanced text “that was divorced from reality, that would not move the needle forward on the ground in any concrete way.”

“Although the United States strongly supports a durable peace in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support this resolution’s call for an unsustainable ceasefire that will only plant the seeds for the next war,” said Wood.

The U.S. had offered substantial amendments to the draft resolution, including a condemnation of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.

Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her country abstained because there was no condemnation of Hamas.

“Israel needs to be able to address the threat posed by Hamas and it needs to do so in a manner that abides by international humanitarian law so that such attack can never be carried out again,” she told the council.

The resolution was backed by Arab and Islamic nations, UN Secretary-General Guterres and many other countries.

Guterres told the emergency meeting of the Security Council on Friday that he invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time since 1971 because “there is a high risk of the total collapse of the…