China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong Photo: VCG

The US on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, drawing harsh criticism from most of the UN members. The US consistent biased support of Israel and its repeated use of its veto at the UN have been a major factor contributing to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, expert said. 

The draft, put forward by the council's 10 non-permanent members, demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The 15-member council voted 14-1 in favor of the resolution, and the US used its veto as a permanent council member to block it. 

When the US cast its first veto on October 18 last year, nearly 3,000 civilians had been killed in Gaza. By the time the US cast its second veto, 17,000 people had been killed as a result of Israeli bombardment. With its continued use of veto, when the US cast its fifth veto on April 18 this year, the death toll in Gaza had surged to 34,000. Now, nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and the US still do not hesitate to use its veto, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at a Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

Speaking after the vote, Robert Wood, deputy US ambassador to the United Nations, said that Washington had made clear it would only support a resolution that explicitly calls for the immediate release of hostages as part of a ceasefire, according to Xinhua.

"The resolution would have sent a dangerous message to Hamas that there was no need to come back to the negotiating table," he said.

The US move to block the resolution drew harsh criticism from most of the members.

"China is very disappointed with the result of today's vote," Fu said, noting that the US single use of the veto has shattered the Gazan people's hope for survival and pushed them further into darkness and desperation.

"The loss of each and every one of them means eternal pain for the surviving relatives. People cannot help but ask: do Palestinian lives mean nothing? Can the deaths of 44,000 people not win even a little bit of sympathy from the United States? How many more people have to die to wake them up from pretending asleep?" Fu asked.

The insistence on setting preconditions for a ceasefire is tantamount to giving the green light to prolong the war and condone the continued killing, Fu said.

"We call on the US to take its responsibilities as a permanent member of the Council seriously, stop being passive and evasive, and stop the deliberate procrastination. Instead, it should act with a sense of responsibility to history, and support the Council in taking all necessary actions to achieve an immediate ceasefire, save lives, and restore peace," the Chinese envoy said.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said on Wednesday that "It is shocking that the US has vetoed an effort to save the lives of Palestinians and Israelis. Though perhaps we should not be surprised about it," Sputnik News reported.

"It is deeply regretted that due to the use of the veto this council has once again failed to uphold its responsibility to maintain international peace and security," Malta's UN Ambassador Vanessa Frazier said, adding that the text of the resolution "was by no means a maximalist one," Reuters reported.

France's delegate stated that "international humanitarian law is being trampled underfoot," while Slovenia's delegate lamented "There is an entire generation of children in Gaza we are failing," according to the UN website.

Liu Zhongmin, a professor from the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the US has repeatedly abused its veto power on critical issues like a ceasefire in Gaza, and backed Israel disregard immense pressure from international community and humanitarian tragedy.

"This stance has not only isolated both the US and Israel on the international stage but also deepened political divisions within the US," Liu said.

The expert specified that the differences between the US and its Western allies, particularly European countries, regarding the Gaza crisis are intensifying. Meanwhile, the opposition to Washington from developing countries and the Islamic world has become an increasingly evident trend since this round of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Liu said.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 43,985, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to a report by Brown University's Watson Institute, the US has spent $22.76 billion in support of Israel's war on Gaza and operations against the Houthis in Yemen, Al Jazeera reported in October.

The US consistent biased support of Israel and its repeated use of its veto at the UN have been a major factor contributing to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Liu said.