Members of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday condemned the U.S. for vetoing a resolution demanding a cease-fire and unfettered humanitarian access in Gaza, a move Washington defended as necessary to protect ongoing diplomatic efforts.
It was the 15-member body's first vote on the situation since November, when the United States – a key Israeli ally – also blocked a text calling for an end to fighting.
"Today, the United States sent a strong message by vetoing a counterproductive U.N. Security Council resolution on Gaza targeting Israel," Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed in a statement after Wednesday's 14 to 1 vote.
He said Washington would not support any text that "draws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas, or disregards Israel's right to defend itself."
"The United States will continue to stand with Israel at the U.N."
The draft resolution had demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire in Gaza respected by all parties."
It also called for the "immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups," and demanded the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Hamas, whose unprecedented Oct. 7, 2023, incursion sparked the war, condemned the "disgraceful" U.S. veto, reiterating accusations of "genocide" in Gaza, something Israel rejects.
The veto "marks a new stain on the ethical record of the United States of America," the group said in a statement, accusing Washington of "legitimizing genocide, supporting aggression, and rationalizing starvation, destruction, and mass killings."
Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.N. Asim Ahmad, meanwhile, said the failed resolution would "remain not only a moral stain on the conscience of this council, but a fateful moment of political application that will reverberate for generations."
China's Ambassador to the U.N. Fu Cong said: "Today's vote result once again exposes that the root cause of the council's inability to quell the conflict in Gaza is the repeated obstruction by the U.S."
The veto marks Washington's first such action since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.
Israel has faced mounting international pressure to end its war in Gaza.
That scrutiny has increased over flailing aid distribution in Gaza, which Israel blocked for more than two months before allowing a small number of U.N. vehicles to enter in mid-May.
The United Nations, which warned last month that the entire population in the besieged Palestinian territory was at risk of famine, said a trickle was far from enough to meet the humanitarian needs.
"The Council was prevented from shouldering its responsibility, despite the fact that most of us seem to be converging on one view," said France's ambassador to the U.N., Jerome Bonnafont.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., said after the Security Council vote he would now ask the General Assembly to pass a resolution calling for a cease-fire.
Israel's ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon, however, said that the Palestinian plan to put the resolution to a vote at the General Assembly, where no country can veto it, was pointless, telling countries, "don't waste more of your energy."
"This resolution doesn't advance humanitarian relief and undermines it. It ignores a working system in favor of political agendas," he claimed.
"The United Nations must return to its original purpose-promoting peace and security-and stop these performative actions," Rubio alleged.
