US Veto: Israel's license to kill

Illustration: TBS

In two months of the Israel-Hamas war, residents of the Gaza Strip have seen their homes turned to rubble, become refugees after having to escape the northern part of the enclave in the face of non-stop bombardment, and lost more than 17,000 of their family and friends. 

On Friday, saner heads could have prevailed as the international community convened to prevent the addition of more casualties to the Palestinian death toll at "an unprecedented pace in modern history" as described by Palestine's UN envoy Riyad al-Mansour, through passing a resolution for ceasefire in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). 

However, sticking to the same script for the past 51 years, the US stepped in once again as Israel's sole enabler. This latest thwarting of an attempt for peace just means more lives will be lost, more people displaced, and more of Gaza turned into an uninhabitable wasteland.

The vote left Washington diplomatically isolated on the 15-member council; 13 members voted in favour of the draft resolution put forward by the UAE, while Britain abstained. 

But the US stuck to its guns with Deputy Ambassador to UN Robert Wood calling the resolution "imbalanced". He declared that halting military action would allow Hamas to continue to rule Gaza and "only plant the seeds for the next war".

"Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace, to see a two-state solution," Wood said before the vote. "For that reason, while the United States strongly supports a durable peace, in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate cease-fire."

Veto over votes

Since 1945, a total of 37 UNSC draft resolutions related to Israel-Palestine have been vetoed by one of the five permanent members — the US, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France. Out of these, 35, including Friday's one, were vetoed by the US and two by Russia and China.

The majority of these resolutions were drafted to provide a framework for peace in the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict. 

Earlier this year, Russia and China vetoed a US-drafted resolution which called for "humanitarian pauses" and Israel's right to defend itself. A second draft resolution sponsored by Russia, which called for a humanitarian ceasefire, failed to garner enough votes to pass, but the US was expected to veto the resolution had it garnered enough votes.

In 2018, after the Great March of Return, the UNSC drafted a resolution condemning "the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force by the Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians" and calling for "lasting, comprehensive peace" with "two democratic states, Israel and Palestine".

The US vetoed that resolution too. 

Then in 2017, after the US recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a draft resolution said "actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void". It demanded the status of Jerusalem to be determined in line with UN regulations. All of the 15 UNSC members voted in favour except the US, which vetoed it. 

Following the second Intifada in 2000, a UNSC resolution expressed "grave concern at the continuation of the tragic and violent events that have taken place since September 2000", condemned attacks against civilians and called for Israel "to abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention". 12 countries voted in favour, but the US vetoed.

The list goes on.

The 1972 draft resolution — the only time the US did not veto — was brief and generic, calling upon all sides to immediately cease all "military operations and to exercise the greatest restraint in the interest of international peace and security". 

Veto power designed for deadlock?

The power of veto was established by the UNSC during its inception, granting this authority solely to its five permanent members (P5) — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US. As per Article 27 of the UN Charter, the P5 can nullify any non-procedural draft resolution by casting negative votes, regardless of the level of global support it might have garnered.

The current veto power in the UNSC was further clarified in the San Francisco Declaration. While it stipulates that a veto cannot entirely halt the Council from discussing a topic, its interpretation extends broadly, encompassing the ability to exercise the veto power in determining whether an issue falls within procedural or non-procedural bounds.

However, in practice, the veto power often leads to stalemates within the security council, hindering substantive progress during critical times. The structure of the UNSC inherently limits its capacity to address significant matters of war and peace, especially when one of its permanent members is involved in a conflict, thereby preventing action to alleviate human suffering.

Intentionally designed to favour the victors of World War II, the UNSC sidelines entire regions and continents, particularly former colonies gaining independence after 1945. Its structure deliberately facilitates deadlock, enabling any P5 member to unilaterally halt the Council's work. 

Beyond the US vetoes concerning Israel-related resolutions, it's crucial to consider the veto actions of other nations to grasp the complete picture. 

Instances like China and Russia vetoing resolutions against Myanmar illustrate this broader scope. Over the years, Russia (former USSR) accounted for nearly half of all vetoes, casting a total of 143. On the other hand, the US, since its initial veto on 17 March 1970, has used this power 83 times to date. The UK, with 32 veto instances, first exercised its veto during the Suez Crisis on 30 October 1956. China has used its veto powers 17 times and France has used it 16 times.