Text presented by Algeria in the UN Security Council; 13 countries voted in favor of the proposal
The United States vetoed for the third time a resolution sent to the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. The decision was made this Tuesday (February 20, 2024).
The proposal was prepared by Algeria and received the support of 13 of the 15 member countries. The United States, which has veto power as a permanent member of the college, blocked the text.
Before the vote, Algerian UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama said: “A vote for this draft resolution is a support for the Palestinians' right to life.” On the other hand, voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment imposed on them.”
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda ThomasGreenfield, had already stated that she would veto the Algerian project because of the Israeli hostages still under the control of Hamas.
This Tuesday (February 20), the diplomat explained that “calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring the release of the hostages by Hamas will not bring lasting peace.”
The North American delegation prepared another resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. It has not yet been put to a vote. The country's text stipulates that the attack will only be halted if Hamas releases the Israeli hostages.
Brazil's disappointed expectations
The UN Security Council's decision to veto the planned ceasefire in Gaza disappoints the Brazilian government's expectations. Celso Amorim, special adviser to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, even made a statement to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo in which he said that the PT member was leading a global change in the situation in the Middle East.
“Lula's speech shocked the world and triggered an emotional movement that could help solve a problem that the coldness of political interests could not solve,” Amorim told Folha. This Tuesday's UN decision shows that the former chancellor (who is currently serving as de facto chancellor) did not properly analyze the situation.
The Palácio do Planalto, under the leadership of Celso Amorim and with the approval of Lula, decided to spread the version that the Brazilian president acted strategically last weekend by comparing the actions of the Israeli government with Adolf Hitler's policy of exterminating Jews during the Second World War compared. It seemed as if the PT MP's statement was very well thought out to cause a shock and a change in the attitude of several countries, including the United States. The publication of this version, thoughtlessly published by several Brazilian journalists, was merely an attempt to repair the damage caused by the President's speech.
In reality, the Brazilian president improvised. In front of a limited group of journalists with little ability to contradict him, Lula became agitated in an interview he gave in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Then I decided to make a comparison between Israel's actions in Gaza and Hitler's Nazi Germany during World War II.
The practical effect so far has been negative. The comments on social networks are mostly bad for Planalto. The opposition to the government took the opportunity to criticize the Lulista government. Governments from developed countries are critical of the killing of Arabs in Gaza, but continue to urge a proactive stance from Hamas, which continues to hold Israeli hostages captive. The extremist group has received little pressure from Planalto Palace to immediately release the hostages, a stance that would certainly lead to an immediate ceasefire, as Lula wants.