The United States has again vetoed a draft UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Israel's war in Gaza, sparking widespread criticism from rivals and allies alike.
Tuesday's move was the third U.S. veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and came a day after Washington circulated a resolution that would support a temporary ceasefire that would result in the release of all Israelis prisoners from the Palestinian enclave.
The vote in the 15-member council was 13-1, with the United Kingdom abstaining, reflecting strong support from countries around the globe for ending the devastating conflict that has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians.
Here you can find out how countries and heads of state and government reacted.
China
According to Xinhua News Agency, Zhang Jun, China's envoy to the United Nations, expressed “strong disappointment and dissatisfaction” with the US.
“The US veto sends a wrong signal and makes the situation in Gaza even more dangerous,” Zhang said, adding that objecting to a ceasefire in Gaza was “nothing other than giving the green light for further slaughter.”
“Only by extinguishing the flames of war in Gaza can the world prevent the fires of hell from consuming the entire region,” Xinhua quoted him as saying.
Russia
Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia said the U.S. veto was “another black page in the history of the Security Council.”
He accused the US of playing for time so that Israel could carry out its “inhumane plans” for Gaza, namely to expel Palestinians from the area and completely “cleanse” the enclave.
He added that no matter how bitter the “aftertaste” of the vote may be, “we are in no mood to give up.”
France
France's UN envoy Nicolas de Riviere expressed regret that a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution “could not be adopted given the catastrophic situation” in Gaza.
De Riviere added that France, which voted for the resolution, would continue to work towards the release of all prisoners and the “immediate implementation” of a ceasefire.
France regrets that the 🇩🇿 resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza could not be adopted given the catastrophic situation on the ground.
All hostages must now be released and a ceasefire implemented immediately.
To this end, France will continue to engage in the United Nations Security Council. pic.twitter.com/dqwSWwgVQZ
— Nicolas de Rivière (@NDeRiviere) February 20, 2024
Algeria
The Algerian envoy said the UN Security Council had “failed once again” and warned that the move could have profound consequences for the Middle East as a whole.
“Our message to you today is that the international community should respond to calls for an end to the killing of Palestinians by calling for an immediate ceasefire. Anyone who obstructs such calls should review their policies and calculations, because wrong decisions today will have costs for our region and our world tomorrow. And that price will be violence and instability,” said Amar Bendjama.
“So ask yourself, examine your conscience. What will the decisions you make today make? How will history judge you?”
Hamas
The Palestinian group said US President Joe Biden's administration's decision to block Algeria's draft resolution furthered the Israeli occupation's agenda aimed at “killing and displacing” Palestinians.
“President Joe Biden and his administration bear direct responsibility for the failure of the ceasefire resolution in Gaza,” Hamas said in a statement. “The American position is considered a green light for the occupation to carry out more massacres and kill our innocent people through bombing and starvation.”
Palestinian authority
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' office said the U.S. veto defies the international community and gives Israel “an additional green light for the Israeli occupation to continue its aggression against the people of Gaza and launch a bloody attack on Rafah.”
The Palestinian presidency also said it held the US government responsible for “supporting and protecting” Israel's “barbaric attacks” against children, women and the elderly in Gaza.
“This policy makes the United States a partner in the crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing, as well as the war crimes committed by Israeli forces,” the office said.
Qatar
Qatar's UN Ambassador Alya Ahmed Saif Al Thani said she regretted that the United Nations Security Council did not adopt the resolution drafted by Algeria and vowed to continue supporting efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry expressed “regret” over the veto and stressed that “now more than ever, the Security Council needs to be reformed in order to carry out its responsibility for maintaining peace and security credibly and without double standards.”
#Opinion | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's regret over the veto of the draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Saudi Arabia #Gaza Strip and its surroundings, which Algeria submitted to the Security Council on behalf of the Arab countries. pic.twitter.com/6S0COWbERD
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 20, 2024
Norway
Norway's mission to the United Nations said it “regrets” the council's inability to adopt a resolution on an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
“It is imperative to end the horror in Gaza,” it added.
Norway regrets that the #UNSC was again unable to pass a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire #Gaza.
It is imperative to put an end to the horror in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/9Sh3ntIQty— NorwayUN (@NorwayUN) February 20, 2024
Cuba
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez criticized the US, saying its veto made them complicit in Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
“The US has just once again vetoed the UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the forced displacement of the Palestinian population,” Bermudez said in a social media post. “They are accomplices to Israel’s genocide against Palestine.”
Amnesty International
Agnes Callamard, the head of the human rights group, said Washington had a chance to protect Palestinian civilians but chose “the opposite path” at the U.N. Security Council.
“And again…if the US could do the right thing: protect the Palestinians from the serious threat of genocide; respect international law and universality; “To prevent massive killings and suffering – she has chosen the opposite path,” Callamard said.