The U.S. veto of the proposed ceasefire resolution the other day did much more than just deny Hamas the respite of the ceasefire in place it desperately needed as a lifeline. The resolution’s call for a ceasefire in place would have also handed Hamas a decided victory over Israel by allowing it to roam free in those areas it now controls and give the lie to Israel’s declared intention of eliminating Hamas.
Also, while the resolution would have represented an end to Israel’s efforts to remove Hamas as a terrorist threat to its people, it did not acknowledge Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas in the first place – suggesting that in the view of the UN that was not the case and the UN accepted the claim that Israel was an “occupier.” On the other hand, the draft resolution did not condemn Hamas’ Oct.7th attacks which, arguably accepts Hamas’ contention that they are a legitimate “resistance” movement.
Notably, the resolution was primarily driven by the allegedly large number of civilian casualties in Gaza that Hamas claimed to have occurred – never independently confirmed and without any analysis of the impact of Hamas’ policy of using human shields. In effect, scant attention would have been given to the IDF’s strategic and tactical needs. Only raw numbers of casualties mattered.
Perhaps most importantly, the vetoed resolution was designed to turn decision-making about the war, like when it should be ended, over to the United Nations. Yet anyone with only a cursory knowledge of the UN’s history of anti-Israel bias would know that when it comes to Israel, the UN simply could not be trusted. The notorious depredations of UN agencies, particularly UNWRA, just don’t allow for that.
Thanks to the U.S. veto Israel was able to dodge much more than a bullet.
