UN Security Council rejects US draft resolution on War in Gaza

UN Security Council rejects US draft resolution on War in Gaza

    Friday, March 22, 2024   No comments

 Algeria, the country that proposed an earlier UNSC resolution to stop the war on Gaza, rejected the US-drafted resolution. It was joined by both China and Russia, whose vetoes sunk the US resolution.

Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s ambassador to the UN, said the text was inadequate and failed to address the immense suffering endured by the Palestinians. “Those who believe that the Israeli occupying power will choose to uphold its international legal obligations are mistaken,” he told the council. “They must abandon this fiction.”

Last February, it objected to the use of the term “immediate” in the draft resolution submitted by Algeria.

Since blocking the Algerian draft resolution, which calls for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza at the end of last February, US officials have been negotiating an alternative text that focuses on supporting diplomatic efforts on the ground for a six-week truce in exchange for the release of the hostages.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said that children, women and men are “living an endless nightmare,” stressing that there is no effective way to distribute aid without a ceasefire.

US rejection of three previous UNSC resolutions made some members skeptical and worried that US intentions have been thus far about shielding Israel and not about stopping the bloodshed. They want to see a clean resolution that orders an immediate cease fire and the unhindered delivery of food, water, medicine, and shelter to end the starvation of civilians in Gaza. Other issues can be addressed in separate resolutions.

China insists on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire not linked to the release of the captives

China's Permanent Representative to the Security Council, Zhang Jun, said: "We voted against the American draft resolution because it does not request an immediate ceasefire, even though the Secretary-General used Article 99 of the Charter for that purpose," adding that "the Council wasted a long time and did not request a ceasefire." Fire after."

The Chinese delegate believed that “the American draft resolution is ambiguous and does not meet the aspirations of the international community,” and that it is “unbalanced because it does not explicitly oppose the attack on Rafah,” and “it does not warn of the dire consequences that could result from such an attack.”

He continued: "The Council now has before it a clear draft resolution requesting an immediate ceasefire, and China supports it," expressing his hope "that it will gain the support of member states," because it "requests an end to the conflict and the immediate release of the hostages."

The Chinese delegate also indicated that “China rejects the accusations of America and Britain” related to its positions, considering that “if the United States is serious about a ceasefire, it should support this draft resolution.”

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, offered further explanation about China's voting position and relevant considerations after the vote.

Zhang said that more than 160 days have passed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. In the face of this human tragedy in which more than 32,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives and has left millions suffering from famine, the most urgent action to be taken by the Council is to promote an immediate, unconditional, and sustained ceasefire, which is the universal call of the international community. But the Council has dragged its feet and wasted too much time in this regard, Zhang said.

The envoy added that the US has always evaded and dodged the most essential issue, which is a ceasefire. The final text remains ambiguous and does not call for an immediate ceasefire, nor does it even provide an answer to the question of realizing a ceasefire in the short term. This is a clear deviation from the consensus of the Council members and falls far short of the expectations of the international community. 

"An immediate ceasefire is a fundamental prerequisite for saving lives, expanding humanitarian access, and preventing further conflict. The US draft, on the contrary, sets up preconditions for a ceasefire, which is no different from giving a green light to continued killings, and thus unacceptable," Zhang noted.

Moscow said that the American draft resolution does not call for a ceasefire in Gaza.. Talk about that is a hoax

The Russian Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, confirmed that the American draft resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip does not include any call for a ceasefire.

Polyansky stated that the draft resolution "does not include any call for a ceasefire, as previous drafts did not include. Rather, only a philosophical statement appeared there about its importance, while linking it to the release of prisoners."

 The Russian diplomat believed that talk about the United States including a ceasefire in Gaza in the draft resolution for the first time is “just an American trick.”

In addition, “there is practically a green light for an Israeli military operation in Rafah, while attention should be focused mainly on praising the United States’ own efforts on the ground,” according to Polyansky.

He added, "This is not what humanitarian agencies need," stressing that "no philosophy will be useful in the absence of a direct demand for a ceasefire."

Polyansky pointed out, "We should not give in to Washington's attempts to present the hope as if it were a real thing, as the United States is still not interested in a real ceasefire, and is doing everything in its power not to prevent its closest ally in the Middle East from abusing the Palestinians."

History of the American veto to protect Israel

The United States’ position on UN Security Council resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is consistent with its historical use of the veto to prevent any resolutions criticizing Israel, or calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The United States, Israel's main backer, had previously used its veto power in the Security Council to prevent the international body from calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territories.

Since 1945, one of the five permanent members of the Council - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - has used its veto to stop 36 draft Security Council resolutions related to Israel and Palestine before. Of these decisions, the United States objected to 34 decisions, while Russia and China objected to two of them.

Security Council resolutions after October 7

The US veto blocked the resolution issued on October 18, 2023, which had demanded a “humanitarian truce” and Israel’s cancellation of its evacuation order in northern Gaza.

The US representative to the United Nations said, “Resolutions are important... but the actions we take must be based on facts on the ground and support direct diplomacy that can save lives,” according to what Reuters reported.

On February 20, the United States used its veto power again to stop another draft resolution in the Security Council, blocking a demand for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

13 members of the Council voted in favor of the text drafted by Algeria, while Britain abstained from voting.

This is the third American veto against a draft resolution since the start of the fighting in Gaza.

The draft resolution drafted by Algeria and objected to by the United States did not link the ceasefire to the release of the hostages, but rather demanded this separately.

Washington has opposed the use of the word ceasefire in any UN action on the war between Israel and Hamas, but the American text uses language that President Joe Biden said he used last week in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This is the second time since October 7 that Washington has proposed issuing a Security Council resolution on Gaza. Russia and China had used their veto power to stop its first attempt.

In December, more than three-quarters of the 193-member UN General Assembly voted to demand an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds. General Assembly resolutions are not binding, but they reflect a global consensus on critical matters—More than 150 countries thinking that the war in Gaza should be stopped immediately to address the starvation and killing of civilians leave the US position quite exposed. Only 10 countries voted against this UNGA resolution. The global consensus, if it continues to be opposed by the US alone, will eventually degrade US standing in the world.

Biden confirms Israel killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza, used starvation as a bargaining chip

Biden confirms Israel killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza, used starvation as a bargaining chip

    Friday, March 08, 2024   No comments

 US President Joe Biden called on Israel not to use humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as a “bargaining chip,” noting that he was working to reach “an immediate ceasefire that will last at least six weeks,” while he ordered the army to establish a temporary port in Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid to the Strip.

Biden said that more than 30,000 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip and that most of them were not members of the Hamas movement.

This came in his State of the Union address to Congress, in which he noted that “Israel lived through the bloodiest day since the Holocaust” following the Hamas attacks on October 7.

“I am working nonstop to reach an immediate ceasefire that will last for at least six weeks,” Biden said Thursday.

He pointed out that he “directed the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary dock in the Mediterranean Sea on the coast of Gaza that can receive large ships loaded with food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters” and that would “allow for a huge increase in the amount of humanitarian aid arriving in Gaza every day.”

Full text of part of President Joe Biden’s  State of the Union Address, in which he addressed the Middle East and the War in Gaza as provided by the White House:

As we manage challenges at home, we’re also managing crises abroad including in the Middle East.

 I know the last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people, for the Israeli people, the Palestinian people, and so many here in America.

 This crisis began on October 7th with a massacre by the terrorist group Hamas.

 1,200 innocent people women and girls men and boys slaughtered, many enduring sexual violence.

 The deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

 250 hostages taken.

 Here in the chamber tonight are American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas.

 I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home.

 We will also work around the clock to bring home Evan and Paul, Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.

 Israel has a right to go after Hamas.

 Hamas could end this conflict today by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for October 7th.

 Israel has an added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population. But Israel also has a fundamental responsibility to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.

 This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined.

 More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed.

 Most of whom are not Hamas.

 Thousands and thousands are innocent women and children.

 Girls and boys also orphaned.

 Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displaced.

 Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin.

 Families without food, water, medicine.

 It’s heartbreaking.

 We’ve been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks.

 It would get the hostages home, ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis, and build toward something more enduring.

 The United States has been leading international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

 Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.

 No U.S. boots will be on the ground.

 This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.

 But Israel must also do its part.

 Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the cross fire.

 To the leadership of Israel I say this.

 Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.

 Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.

 As we look to the future, the only real solution is a two-state solution.

 I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel and the only American president to visit Israel in wartime.

 There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and democracy.

 There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live with peace and dignity.

 There is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia. 

 Creating stability in the Middle East also means containing the threat posed by Iran. 

 That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

 I’ve ordered strikes to degrade Houthi capabilities and defend U.S. Forces in the region.

 As Commander in Chief, I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and military personnel. 

 

After 127 days of killing in Gaza, US admin officials admit errors: We made mistakes and we do not trust the current Netanyahu government

After 127 days of killing in Gaza, US admin officials admit errors: We made mistakes and we do not trust the current Netanyahu government

    Saturday, February 10, 2024   No comments

Another example of Western democracies' behavior showing that for them  politics trumps human rights, US officials now worried that their next presidential elections could be decided by the administration’s handling of the war on Gaza. Officials are now in damage control mode admitting errors and justifying their actions and inactions. The entire world wanted the war to stop, 80% of nation-states in the world voted to stop the killing, a vote opposed only by the US government and 5%, countries most informed readers will not be able to place them on the map. Even the UK a long time partner of the US could not vote against, so they abstained.

 White House officials claim that they now know that this government of Israel cannot be trusted. The problem for the administration is this: the head of this government, Netanyahu, is the longest serving prime minister, and therefore, therefore, his policies and stances have been known for a long time. So, what kind of government is not open for discovery to determine whether it should have the confidence of the US government. The US government must have known for years that this long serving right wing government has no desire for peace. The continuous building of illegal settlements on occupied land in West Bank is the manifestation of their rejection of any just solution.

The New York Times quoted US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer as saying that Washington had made “mistakes in responding to the crisis since last October 7.”

Finer added, “The Biden administration should have quickly condemned Israeli statements that compared the Palestinians to animals.”

The aide offered some of the administration's clearest expressions of remorse for its response to the Gaza war, a sign of growing Democratic pressure on President Biden.

In a closed meeting with Arab American leaders in Michigan this week, one of President Biden's top foreign policy aides acknowledged mistakes in the administration's response to the war in Gaza, saying he had "no confidence" that the Israeli government is willing to accept war in Gaza. Taking “purposeful steps” towards establishing a Palestinian state.

“It did not in any way address the loss of Palestinian life during the course of the first 100 days of the conflict,” Mr. Finer said. “There is no excuse for that. It should not have happened. I believe it will not happen again. But we know that there was a lot of damage done.

“Out of a desire to sort of focus on solving the problem and not engaging in a rhetorical back-and-forth with people who, in many cases, I think we all find somewhat abhorrent, we did not sufficiently indicate that we totally rejected and disagreed with those sorts of sentiments,” Mr. Finer said.

He did not clarify which Israeli officials he was referring to, but in the conflict’s early days, Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, said, “We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly.” Some other Israeli officials have also faced criticism for dehumanizing language.

Burning of the American flag during rallies commemorating the "Polytechnic" uprising in Athens; a reminder of US history of siding with dictators and removing democratically elected leaders

Burning of the American flag during rallies commemorating the "Polytechnic" uprising in Athens; a reminder of US history of siding with dictators and removing democratically elected leaders

    Friday, November 18, 2022   No comments

The Greeks burned the American flag, yesterday, Thursday, during rallies that roamed the streets of the capital, Athens, to commemorate the forty-ninth anniversary of the student uprising against the US-backed military government in 1973.

The protesters, who burned the American flag, marched to the US embassy in Athens, which they accused of supporting military rule. They also chanted slogans calling for NATO to leave Ukraine. 

The marches were led by a group of demonstrators carrying blood-stained Greek flags, while about five thousand police officers were deployed in the streets of the capital, after confrontations with the protesters.

 These marches are held in commemoration of the 1973 Polytechnic uprising that was brutally crushed by the military junta ruling Greece at the time, and the anniversary is celebrated each year with marches to the US Embassy in Athens.

 Twenty-four people were killed during the army's suppression of a student uprising in Athens, which was launched by the Polytechnic University.

This uprising is seen as breaking the army's hold on power and contributing to the restoration of democracy the following year.

 In recent years, protesters have used the anniversary to protest the harsh austerity measures imposed on Greece by its international creditors, after the global financial crisis.

This year, the commemoration began with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Athens Polytechnic University, the site of the bloody incident of November 17, 1973, when tanks stormed the gates to crush a student uprising that heralded the end of the military junta.

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou laid a wreath at the memorial and said the anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising was "a reminder that the struggle for democracy continues and is exhausting."

In 1953, the CIA orchestrated a coup of Iran’s democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, in order to consolidate power with Iran’s shah (or king), Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Reza Pahlavi established a brutal regime that was overthrown by the Iranian people in 1979. Since then, the US and the Iranian government have been in crisis mode, with the US maintaining a strategy designed to lead to the overthrow of the current government, as stated most recently by Biden when he said, "We Will Free Iran".

 

In 1954, the CIA orchestrated another coup of a democratically elected leader: Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz. The CIA coup, code-named Operation PBSuccess, replaced the president with military dictator Carlos Castillo Armas

 

In 1960, the Republic of the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) declared its independence from Belgium and democratically elected its first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba. The CIA helped facilitate Lumumba’s capture in 1960 and assassination in 1961.

 

CIA had funded and encouraged the 1963 coup against, and assassination of, the president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem.

 

On September 11, 1973, a military coup overthrew the Chilean President Salvador Allende Gossens, who was a democratically elected Socialist. The CIA worked hard to undermine Allende at the request of President Richard Nixon.

 

The United States has a long history of meddling in Nicaragua. Between 1912 and 1933, the U.S. military occupied the country. Between 1981 and 1986, President Ronald Reagan’s administration secretly and illegally sold arms to Iran in order to fund Contras, a group the CIA had recruited and organized to fight the socialist Sandinista government led by Daniel Ortega.

Most recently, in 2003, the United States invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein’s government. And NATO, led by the US of course, assisted the rebels overthrow the Libyan leader, Mu`ammar Qaddafi in 2011.