Israel thanks US for vetoing UN resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire not conditioned on hostage release

Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon thanked the United States for vetoing a UN Security Council Resolution that called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip without tying it to the release of the Israeli hostages remaining in Hamas captivity.

“I thank the USA for vetoing the Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire without conditioning it to the release of the hostages. We will continue the fight until all the hostages are released,” Danon said in a video statement on 𝕏.

I thank the USA for vetoing the Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire without conditioning it to the release of the hostages. We will continue the fight until all the hostages are released.🎗️🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/dOIakgJl3w

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) November 20, 2024

Before the UN Security Council (UNSC) vote, Danon had called the draft resolution, which didn’t mention Hamas by name, “offensive and unilateral.”

He added that the U.S. veto “prevented a shameful attempt by the U.N. to abandon our hostages. Thanks to the U.S. we stood up for the most important principle: There will be no cease-fire without freeing the hostages,” Danon said.

The draft was sponsored by Algeria and supported by the UNSC's 10 non-permanent member states, with its text calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” while separately demanding the release of the hostages.

The U.S. was the only UNSC member to vote against the resolution by using its veto power. After the vote, a senior American official accused the other members of cynically rejecting compromise offers, like one proposed shortly before the vote by the U.K., in an anonymous media briefing.

“As we stated many times before, we just can't support an unconditional ceasefire that does not call for the immediate release of hostages,” the official said.

“China kept demanding ‘stronger language,’ and Russia appeared to be pulling strings with various [of the elected] 10 members,” he added. “This really does undercut the narrative that this was an organic reflection of the E10, and there's some sense that some E10 members regret that those responsible for the drafting allowed the process to be manipulated for what we consider to be cynical purposes.”

Since the start of the war on Oct. 7 of last year, the U.S. vetoed four similar resolutions calling for a ceasefire. However, the Biden administration made a point to abstain from a vote in March amid tense discussions with Israel over its Rafah offensive in southern Gaza.

Coming during the so-called “lame-duck” period at the end of President Biden’s term, there was speculation that the administration would use this opportunity to publicly embarrass the Israeli government, similar to when the Obama administration at the end of its term allowed a UNSC resolution that called parts of Jerusalem’s Old City “occupied Palestinian territory.”

However, the Biden administration apparently decided to pursue a pro-Israel stance until the end of its term.

The Jewish Insider also reported that the Biden administration is working to convince senators not to support resolutions promoted by left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders to decrease U.S. weapons sales to Israel.

“Simply put, this resolution would’ve sent a dangerous message to Hamas: There’s no need to come back to the negotiating table,” U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said at Wednesday’s UNSC meeting.

“Hamas would’ve seen it as a vindication of its cynical strategy to hope and pray the international community forgets about the fate of more than 100 hostages from more than 20 member states who have been held for 410 days,” he continued.

“I’ve already mentioned the failure to condemn Hamas for its Oct. 7 terrorist attack. It’s inexplicable that more than 13 months since that day, some members of this council are missing the plot, that they refuse to acknowledge it is Hamas that instigated this conflict.”