By Wang Jin
Recently, a resolution draft regarding the situation in Gaza proposed by Algeria to the United Nations Security Council was vetoed by the US. By using its veto power, the US has repeatedly obstructed international efforts for peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict, thus becoming a significant obstacle to peace in the region.
UN Security Council resolutions are the consolidation of international consensus, and also an important guarantee of international order. On one hand, these resolutions represent important embodiments of international consensus. Particularly, drafts proposed jointly by multiple countries not only express the common aspirations of these nations but also reflect the urgency and importance of the issues addressed in the resolution drafts. For instance, the ceasefire resolution draft submitted by Algeria, which received widespread support from Arab countries, manifests the urgent desire of Arab nations to achieve an early ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
On the other hand, UN Security Council resolutions serve as crucial means to uphold fairness and justice in the international community. UN resolutions convey the formal opinions or intentions of the UN organs, outlining the views of the Security Council on relevant issues or actions to be taken, thus possessing a certain degree of legal enforceability and significant influence on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
However, the veto by the US has become a major obstacle to ending the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Since the outbreak of the new round of the Israel-Palestine conflict in October 2023, the Security Council has voted on the issue eight times, yet the US has repeatedly used its veto power and severely impeded the formation of international consensus.
The argument by the US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield that the resolution draft submitted by Algeria for the Security Council vote will not bring about a durable peace is groundless. The early realization of a ceasefire and the prompt arrival of a just and lasting peace for both Israel and Palestine are crucial prerequisites and necessary guarantees for security. Simply emphasizing the security of one side and ignoring the international community's peace expectations will eventually cause all parties to continue to fall into a vicious cycle of conflict. After vetoing the resolution draft proposed by Algeria, the US proposed a new resolution draft. However, the US' draft resolution only calls for a temporary ceasefire, and does not cover principles such as withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, restoring and organizing humanitarian assistance, reaffirming the "two-state solution," and restarting Palestine-Israel peace negotiations, which are widely concerned by the international community.
The resolution draft proposed by the US evades the international responsibilities that the US and Israel should bear. One of the reasons why this round of the Israel-Palestine conflict broke out is that Palestine's right to establish an independent state was ignored by the US and Israel. The US has not organized a peace dialogue between Palestine and Israel since 2014 and has condoned the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which destroyed Palestinian peoples' confidence in Palestinian-Israeli peace. The US intentionally ignores its international obligations and obstructs the Security Council in the passing of relevant resolutions, which is not conducive to de-escalating the conflict situation.
After the outbreak of this round of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has worsened, with the international community still struggling to meet the humanitarian needs of the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid channels are often threatened, and the distribution mechanism is difficult to maintain. As the largest third party in the Israel-Palestine conflict and the most powerful country globally, the US, which advocates "human rights" and "morality," has not only failed to increase timely humanitarian aid to Gaza but also allowed the flames of war to endanger Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering. Therefore, the US has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
As the most influential country in the Middle East, the US has not made real efforts to mediate and coordinate the Middle East conflict but has instead fueled its spread and escalation. To some extent, the US has become the primary party responsible for the dangerous situation in the Middle East. The international community should unite and continue to make new efforts to ease this round of conflicts and mitigate regional risks.
(The author is a distinguished professor at the Research Center for the Belt and Road of Lanzhou University.)
Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
