On March 22, 2024, the United Nations Security Council voted on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement motion at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S.-backed draft Security Council resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza, with Moscow accusing Washington of a “spectacle of hypocrisy” that failed to put pressure on Israel. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The U.N. Security Council failed on Friday to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed U.S.-proposed measures.
The resolution calls for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” lasting about six weeks to protect civilians and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“The overwhelming majority of the Security Council voted in favor of this resolution, but unfortunately Russia and China decided to exercise their veto power,” Linda Thomas Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security Council.
Before the vote, she said it would be a “historic mistake” for the council not to pass the resolution.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, also spoke before the vote, calling on member states not to vote in favor of the resolution.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebensya removes his microphone after speaking to delegates after voting against the U.S. resolution on a ceasefire in the Gaza war during a U.N. Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York on March 22, 2024. .
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He said the resolution was “extremely politicized” and gave the green light for Israel to launch military operations in Rafah, at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, where more than half of the 2.3 million residents have been sheltering in makeshift tents. Israel attacks north.
“This will free up Israel’s hands and result in Gaza as a whole and all its people having to face destruction, destruction or expulsion,” Nebenzia told the meeting.
He said some non-permanent members of the Security Council had drafted an alternative resolution, which he called a balanced document and said there was no reason why Council members should not support it.
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