US vetoes UN resolution condemning all violence against civilians in Israel-Hamas war

Published October 17, 2023 9:29 PM

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States has vetoed a U.N. resolution that would have condemned all violence against civilians in the Israel-Hamas war and urged humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. In Wednesday’s vote in the 15-member Security Counci, there were 12 votes in favor, the United States against and Russia and the United Kingdom abstaining. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that President Joe Biden is in the region engaging in diplomacy and “we need to let that diplomacy play out.” She criticized the resolution for not saying anything about Israel’s right to self-defense. Before the vote council members rejected two Russian amendments, one calling for a “humanitarian cease-fire.”