By Shi Guannan
The United Nations Security Council voted on a draft resolution proposed by Algeria calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on February 20. The US representative exercised a veto on the resolution. Among the 15 members of the UNSC, the US is the only one that voted against it.
This is the fourth time that the US has abused its veto power to obstruct a ceasefire on the Gaza issue. In October and December 2023, the US voted against ceasefire resolutions proposed by Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia, respectively.
Nearly 30,000 people have been killed in Israeli military operations since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023. According to officials from the charity organization Save the Children, nearly 10 children in Gaza "lose one or both legs" every day. The international community has already formed an overwhelming consensus for an immediate ceasefire. Politicians from many countries have called for an immediate ceasefire. Mass demonstrations and rallies were also held in the US, the UK, Belgium, Türkiye and other countries, calling for a "real ceasefire" as soon as possible.
In the face of such widespread consensus and calls, the US, which always styles itself as the "international police" and "defender of human rights," has repeatedly obstructed ceasefire efforts, disregarding the safety of the people in the Gaza Strip. Why?
First, the US considers Israel a core ally and maintaining regional military dominance of Israel is a core aspect of its Middle East policy. To safeguard Israel's "vital interests," the US aligns its position on the Gaza issue with Israel's. Following the outbreak of the conflict, senior US officials such as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have repeatedly stated unwavering support for Israel, pledging to provide "whatever is necessary" to support Israel. The White House, the US Congress, and the Department of Defense, have facilitated arms sales to Israel and provided military assistance through various means such as "emergency authorizations" and legislation. Some analysts believe that the US' repeated vetoing of ceasefire proposals is aimed at helping Israel gain more space and time on the battlefield.
Second, the US has long been keen on maintaining offshore balancing, continually sowing discord and inciting confrontation among regional countries to make profits in conflicts and maintain its hegemony. Since the end of World War II, the US has supported Israel to counterbalance regional countries, and instigated religious conflicts between Sunni and Shia Muslims, resulting in prolonged warfare and leaving millions homeless in the Middle East. Therefore, the US firmly controlled the region's energy resources.
Third, the relevant decisions of the Biden administration are influenced and constrained by American Jews and military-industrial enterprises. Jews are the largest ethnic minority in the US and one of the most important donors to the Democratic Party and they are crucial to Biden's victory in the 2024 presidential election. According to a November 2023 poll by National Public Radio (NPR), 80 percent of Jews support the US to increase military aid to Israel. In addition, the US military industry has benefited a lot from the Gaza conflict. The Biden administration has repeatedly asked Congress to pass special budget bills to increase the budget of military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and other countries by USD 105 billion, a large part of which flow into US military-industrial enterprises.
The US' indulgence of Israel's use of force for its own interests not only faces increasing pressure domestically and internationally but also exposes once again the double standards and hypocrisy of " American human rights".
On the one hand, the Biden administration's "aiding and abetting" has been opposed by more and more people. A Gallup poll in January 2024 showed that nearly 30 percent of respondents in the US believe that "the US supports Israel too much." The international community, especially the vast majority of Arab and Islamic countries, has repeatedly expressed strong dissatisfaction, with many countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Russia criticizing the US for ignoring the huge civilian casualties in the conflict.
On the other hand, the US approach has once again proved the hypocrisy of " American human rights". The US claims that the UNSC resolution will interfere with ongoing diplomatic efforts, which is completely unfounded. Under the current circumstances, remaining passive and evasive on the issue of an immediate ceasefire is tantamount to giving the green light to constant killing. The spillover of conflicts has destabilized the entire Middle East, and the risk of wider war is rising.
Currently, hot-spot issues such as the Lebanon-Israel border conflict and the crisis in the Red Sea region continue to flare up, with the increasing risk of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict spilling over, and the US military is facing growing pressure worldwide. If the US continues to act in its own interests, its policy will inevitably backfire and bring self-inflicted harm to the US.
(The author is an assistant researcher at the Institute of American Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.)
