UN Security Council members have criticised the United States after it vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza, which Washington claimed undermined ongoing diplomacy.
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 carnage on Wednesday.
"This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground and emboldens Hamas," Washington's United Nations envoy Dorothy Shea said ahead of Wednesday's 14 to 1 vote, with the US casting the lone vote against.
The draft resolution had demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire 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."
Underlining a "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in the Palestinian territory, the resolution, had it passed, would have demanded the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
"This will remain not only a moral stain on the conscience of this council, but a fateful moment of political application that will reverberate for generations," said Pakistan's ambassador to the UN, Asim Ahmad.
China's ambassador to the UN, 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 US."
Palestinian resistance group Hamas also commented on Washington's veto, saying it gives a green light to PM Benjamin Netanyahu to continue the genocide in Gaza.
The veto marks Washington's first such action since US President Donald Trump took office in January.
'Enough is enough'
France also took a dig at Washington, saying the veto prevents the council from "shouldering its responsibility."
"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 UN, Jerome Bonnafont.
Slovenia, which proposed the draft, also criticised the US.
"Enough is enough," Slovenia's UN envoy, Samuel Zbogar, said. "It was never our intention to provoke a veto."
He said the veto prevented them from taking action, without naming the US.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, on Tuesday urged the Council to act.
"All of us will be judged by history as to how much we have done in order to stop this crime against the Palestinian people," he said.
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, attacked the text.
"The resolution voted on was a gift to Hamas and risked emboldening terrorism," he said.
"We thank the United States for standing on the right side."
The US vetoed resolutions in October 2023, December 2023, February 2024, and November 2024, while abstaining in votes on other draft resolutions.
