The USA is a permanent member of the Council and has veto power Mahmoud Hams/AFP October 18, 2023
The State Department in a statement regretted the United States’ veto of the document prepared by Brazil in the United Nations (UN) Security Council that called for a humanitarian pause in the conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
The text published this Wednesday (18) did not mention the United States. As permanent members of the Council, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom and Russia have veto power over resolutions. Russia and the United Kingdom abstained.
“The Brazilian government regrets that the use of the veto has once again prevented the main organization responsible for maintaining international peace and security from acting in the face of the catastrophic humanitarian crisis caused by the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza,” says Itamaraty. The position follows the tone of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who is critical of the institution and defends the expansion of the number of member countries (Read more below).
Earlier, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said that Brazil, as president of the Council this month, had done everything in its power to end “hostilities” in the Middle East, but that “each country had its own inspiration” regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The text prepared by Brazil was supported by 12 of the 15 members of the Security Council. To approve the proposal, nine yes votes and no veto were required. The Chancellor returns to New York in the USA at the end of this Wednesday (18). There he will chair another Security Council debate on the Middle East on October 24th.
“Brazil will continue to seek to reach agreements that alleviate the dramatic humanitarian situation we are experiencing and contribute to the realization of a twostate solution, with an economically viable Palestinian state, in peace and security with Israel in the consensual and international context Framework lives “recognized boundaries,” emphasized the Itamaraty in a note.
Lula’s criticism
The UN Security Council was founded in 1948 to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security. It consists of five permanent members and ten nonpermanent members with a term of office of two years. Currently, the ten countries filling these vacancies are Brazil, Albania, Ecuador, the United Arab Emirates, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland.
Lula has criticized the council on several occasions and even stated that the body needs to adapt to the current realities of the world. According to him, the institution has been “weakened” and needs to give emerging countries more space and voice.
In a speech to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, USA, in September, Lula defended the expansion of the Security Council, saying that the mechanism was “increasingly losing credibility”.
“This fragility arises particularly from the actions of its permanent members, who wage unauthorized wars to achieve territorial expansion or regime change. Her paralysis is the most eloquent proof of the need and urgency for reform that will give her greater representation and effectiveness,” he said.
This year, Lula also complained about the permanent members of the Security Council, saying they were the ones who fueled conflict the most around the world. “The UN of 2023 has nowhere near the same credibility as it did in 1945. The Security Council that was supposed to ensure the security of peace and tranquility is the Security Council that wages war without speaking to anyone,” he said.
“Russia is going to Ukraine without discussing it in the Security Council. The United States goes to Iraq without discussing it in the Security Council. France and England will invade Libya without discussing it in the Security Council. In other words, who does it?” “The Security Council countries are those that produce weapons, the Security Council countries are those that produce weapons, the Security Council countries are those that sell weapons. This is wrong,” Lula added.
Check the State Department’s position on the U.S. veto
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met today to consider a draft resolution on recent developments in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, with emphasis on its humanitarian aspects, in particular humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.
As a country always committed to peace and President of the Security Council in October, Brazil has worked hard to reduce polarization, take into account different positions and interests and put forward a text that protects the lives of civilians and the humanitarian Can ensure access to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.
The project condemns the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilian hostages; calls for a humanitarian pause to allow rapid and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance; requires the continued supply of essential supplies such as medical supplies, water and food to the civilian population; and calls for the lifting of the order for United Nations civilians and personnel to evacuate the entire Gaza Strip area north of Wadi Gaza.
The Brazilian Presidency’s project received widespread support, with the text approved by 12 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council reflecting the high level of concern about the humanitarian situation in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. The Council’s approval requires the support of at least nine of its members. However, the veto of a permanent member of the Security Council led to the Security Council rejecting the project. Two members abstained from voting.
The Brazilian Government regrets that the use of the veto has once again prevented the main organization responsible for maintaining peace and international security from acting in the face of the catastrophic humanitarian crisis caused by the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza. Brazil believes it is urgent that the international community brings about a ceasefire and restarts the peace process.
Brazil will continue to seek to reach agreements that alleviate the dramatic humanitarian situation we are experiencing and contribute to the realization of a twostate solution, with an economically viable Palestinian state living in peace and security with Israel within the framework of mutually agreed and internationally recognized agreements live within boundaries.
This Wednesday, Minister Mauro Vieira travels to New York to attend, among other activities, the Brazilian Presidency on October 24th. to chair an open, highlevel Security Council debate dealing with the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine. The meeting will allow countries to call for a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors at the highest level.
See the resolution submitted by Brazil to the Security Council
The Security Council, guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations;
Recalling its resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 446 (1979), 452 (1979), 465 (1980), 476 (1980), 478 (1980), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1850 (2008) and 2334 (2016);
Affirming that all acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motives, whenever and by whomever they are committed;
Expressing serious concern about the escalation of violence and the deterioration of the situation in the region, in particular the resulting high number of civilian casualties, and emphasizing that civilians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, in accordance with the provisions International humanitarian law must be protected;
We express deep concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and its serious impact on the civilian population, largely made up of children, and underline the need for full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access;
Encouraging efforts aimed at a cessation of hostilities and helping to ensure the protection of civilians in both Israel and Palestine;
Reaffirms its vision of a region in which two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and within secure and recognized borders;
Noting that a lasting solution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict can only be achieved through peaceful means and on the basis of its relevant resolutions.
1. Strongly condemns all violence and hostilities against civilians and all acts of terrorism;
2. Strongly rejects and condemns Hamas’ heinous terrorist attacks in Israel from October 7, 2023 and the taking of civilians hostage;
3. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilian hostages and for their safety, wellbeing and humane treatment in accordance with international law;
4. Urges all parties to fully comply with their obligations under international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including those related to the conduct of hostilities, including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and the provision of humanitarian assets and to enable and facilitate humanitarian access to provide relief items and essential services to those in need;
5. Urges the continued, sufficient and unhindered supply of essential goods and services to the civilian population, including electricity, water, fuel, food and medical supplies, and emphasizes the need to ensure that civilians are not deprived of essential items, in accordance with international humanitarian law;
6. Urges the lifting of the order for all civilians and UN personnel to evacuate all areas north of Wadi Gaza and relocate to the south of Gaza;
7. Calls for humanitarian pauses to allow full, rapid, safe and unhindered access for United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other impartial humanitarian organizations, and encourages the establishment of corridors for humanitarian and other initiatives to implement humanitarian assistance to the civilian population;
8. Stresses the importance of a humanitarian notification mechanism to protect UN facilities and humanitarian sites and to ensure the movement of humanitarian aid convoys;
9. Demands that all medical and humanitarian personnel carrying out exclusively medical tasks, their transport and equipment, and hospitals and other medical facilities are respected and protected in accordance with international humanitarian law;
10. Stresses the importance of preventing the spread of the conflict in the region and, in this regard, calls on all parties to exercise the greatest possible restraint and on all those who have influence over them to act to this end;
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