For any draft resolution to pass in the Security Council, the support of 9 out of 15 members is required, unless a permanent member vetoes it.
It is worth noting that the 5 permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Britain, the United States and Russia have veto power.
The draft resolution introduced Wednesday had 14 votes in favor and one against, which was vetoed by the United States.
The veto is not just a symbol
The United States, a permanent member, exercised its veto power in the Security Council on Wednesday, around the same time the 193-member UN General Assembly met.
“We are often faced with inertia, inaction and the inability to find solutions to global crises,” said UN General Assembly President Philemon Young.
“We have seen that such inertia hinders our response to critical situations in Gaza, Syria, Mali, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Ukraine and Sudan,” he said at the start of the meeting.
Philemon Young said the UN General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in 2022 that ensures the Security Council is held accountable whenever a permanent member uses a veto.
He said, since the passing of this resolution, there have been 10 discussions in the General Assembly.
Philemon Young said the existence of the veto power reflects the troubling reality that divisions within the Security Council are preventing this important UN body from taking action.
He added that, however, in such circumstances, “the General Assembly may intervene to take action.”
In this meeting on Wednesday, the member countries are participating in the discussion on the veto issue and presenting their views.
A ceasefire would have saved lives, Palestine
Majid Bamaya, the Deputy Permanent Observer of Palestine, addressed the Security Council after the vote on the draft resolution, saying that the massacre of civilians, the starvation of the entire civilian population, the forced displacement of people and the resort to occupation must not be allowed. Rights are not earned.
“This is exactly what Israel is doing in Gaza. These are Israel’s war targets. The absence of a ceasefire allows Israel to do this,” he said.
Majid Bamaya noted that Israel’s “all-out war” against the Palestinian people and Palestinian land is not just about “hostages.”
He asked, “If the families of the hostages can see and understand it, why can’t everyone in this chamber see and understand it?”
Majid Bamaya also stressed that all lives would have been saved if the ceasefire had been implemented.
He said the ceasefire does not solve everything, but it is the first step towards any solution. What more answers do they need from those who refuse to support calls for an unconditional ceasefire despite such a large number of deaths and widespread destruction.
“Should it be assumed that until we find a solution, people’s lives will continue to be lost, when we also see that we don’t have a solution,” he said.
Israel praised the rejection of the draft resolution
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon thanked the Security Council for rejecting the draft resolution, saying Hamas was responsible for the dire situation in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli ambassador said that Israel will not leave any stone unturned to defend itself and will not stop fighting for the release of hostages held on October 7.
Danny Danon said the Security Council had an opportunity to stand up for justice. History will remember this vote and those who took a stand in support of the hostages and to protect the terrorists who betrayed the hostages.