Russia and China veto UN Gaza cease-fire resolution

Ambassadors to the United Nations from Russia and China on Friday vetoed the United States’ proposed resolution calling for an “immediate” cease-fire in Gaza. The two countries vetoed and criticized the measure during Friday’s UN Security Council meeting on the “situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.”

Why did they vote against it? China’s ambassador Zhang Jun said he didn’t believe the resolution actually called for an “immediate” cease-fire, but rather required preconditions before that cease-fire could come about. He said the resolution fell “far short of the expectations of the international community.”

What about Russia? Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya condemned the fact that the UN Security Council for six months could not pass a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. blamed the United States for vetoing those resolutions. He accused the United States first of being “sluggish” in responding to the situation in Gaza, and then of proposing a “politicized” draft resolution. Nebenzya warned nations against voting for the draft resolution, saying “you will cover yourselves in disgrace.”

Dig deeper: Read Lael Weinberger’s column in WORLD Opinions about how setting up an independent, post-war Palestinian state would just reward Hamas-style violence and brutality.