Palestinians are inspecting the debris at the Jaffa Mosque, which was hit by an Israeli bombardment, in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on December 8, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Palestinian officials expressed resounding disappointment after the United States vetoed a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.
“It was the U.S. who failed the Palestinians,” Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Husam Zomlot told CNBC’s Dan Murphy on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar on Sunday. “The U.S. has stood between humanity and peace and security.” The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.
The U.S. on Friday vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that was backed by 13 Security Council members, while the United Kingdom abstained. The vote came about after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the U.N. charter to coalesce the 15-nation council to address the crisis in the Gaza Strip.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Gaza, at UN headquarters in New York City on December 8, 2023.
Yuki Iwamura | AFP | Getty Images
Mohammad Shtayyeh, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, echoed the disappointment on Sunday, describing the result as “sad” and a “shame.”
“One hundred and more countries have called for an end to the atrocities. Only one single country did not like that and vetoed the situation. I think this is not wise, this is not acceptable,” he said.
The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority administered the Gaza enclave before the shock win of Hamas in the elections of 2006. It now has limited oversight of the occupied West Bank.
The veto was not a move that was a bolt out of the blue, Sanam Vakil, Chatham House’s Middle East North Africa program director, told CNBC on…
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