ALBAWABA - Russia, China, and Algeria used their veto votes to reject a resolution that the United States had submitted at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Russia, China, and Algeria voted against the motion, while Guyana abstained. Eleven members of the council supported the resolution.
When Russia vetoed the US resolution demanding a "urgent and lasting ceasefire," it accused the US of putting on a "hypocritical show" by not applying enough pressure to pass the resolution through Israel. Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's UN ambassador, said the resolution was too political and essentially authorized Israel to begin military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Nebenzya asserted that the resolution made no mention of a ceasefire and charged the US government of purposefully swaying public opinion abroad. At the UN Security Council, the Russian envoy said to the other ambassadors, "If you had passed the resolution, you would have buried yourselves in shame."
CITING THE COUNCIL'S DELAY, China
In response to the resolution's rejection, China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun declared that the UN Security Council need to demand an immediate ceasefire in accordance with the demands of the UN Secretary-General and UN General Assembly.
Zhang Jun voiced worry that the council was taking too long to act and was wasting time. He said that, in keeping with the opinions of the Arab states, China had rejected the US-presented resolution. The United States and the United Kingdom's criticism of China's veto, Zhang Jun underlined, were being hypocritical. "If they are serious about a ceasefire, they should support a new resolution."
China and Russia, according to US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, are not making any significant efforts to promote peace. Russia, according to the US ambassador, would have rather get involved in politics by vetoing the resolution.
