U.S. Undermines UN Ceasefire Efforts Amid Gaza Invasion Fears
U.S. Undermines UN Ceasefire Efforts Amid Gaza Invasion Fears
As the prospect of a major Israeli ground offensive threatens to unleash catastrophic bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, the United States continues obstructing United Nations action to broker even temporary peace.
On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced American intentions to block an urgent U.N. Security Council resolution introduced by Algeria demanding an immediate ceasefire and hostage releases while parties return to the negotiating table.
This preemptive rejection of binding international calls for de-escalation effectively grants Israel further impunity as military commanders weigh sending troops and tanks across southern borders to occupy Gaza cities in a risky gambit to erode militant strongholds.
Rights groups warn such an invasion could displace hundreds of thousands while subjecting trapped civilians to indiscriminate warfare, which U.N. leaders believe warrants immediate ceasefire no matter the diplomatic cost.
Yet the U.S. refuses to even consider restraining Israeli force, consistent with years of vetoing Security Council measures critical of military offensives in occupied territories no matter the humanitarian alarms sounded.
Critics argue this blanket enablement of hardline Israeli security policy ultimately undermines prospects for lasting peace by inflaming anti-American resentment across Arab nations. They point to the largely symbolic U.N. vote condemning Russia’s Ukraine invasion as evidence of double standards around conflicts involving US allies.
Meanwhile scenes of carnage and radicalization continue playing out on the ground as the U.S. preemptively obstructs Security Council action before the proposed truce ever reached potential veto. With no end in sight, the suffering on both sides tragically continues.