US vetoes Algeria's Gaza ceasefire resolution 

In remarks to the UN Security Council after the US vetoed an Algerian resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that calling for an immediate ceasefire could stymie ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement between Hamas and Israel for a pause in the fighting.

The US has consistently shielded Israel from diplomatic pressure at the UN since the war began, vetoing resolutions calling for a ceasefire on three occasions despite overwhelming support from UN member states. The US is also Israel’s primary supplier of arms.

“Colleagues, over the past few weeks, we have made incredibly clear that the resolution before the council would not achieve the goal of a sustainable peace, and may in fact run counter to it,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

“Proceeding with a vote today was wishful and irresponsible. And so while we cannot support a resolution that would put sensitive negotiations in jeopardy, we look forward to engaging on a text we believe will address so many of the concerns we all share. A text that can, and should, be adopted by the council.”

Palestinians have expressed anger after the US again vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution that would have called for a ceasefire.

Displaced Palestinian children gather to receive food at a government school in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 19, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)

“There is a great deal of pessimism and frustration. Palestinians no longer trust the international community, as we have been hearing from locals here in Gaza,” Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Rafah.

“During the Security Council meeting there have been more attacks on the ground here in Gaza. People here are completely frustrated,” he added.