US vetoes UN resolution for Gaza ceasefire

The US used its veto in the United Nations Security Council to block a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza on Friday.

The draft resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates received support from thirteen members of the Security Council, with Britain choosing to abstain.

The voting took place after UN secretary general Antonio Guterres on Wednesday officially alerted the 15-member council about the international risks posed by the war.

Deputy US ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told reporters ahead of the vote that the resolution was “divorced from reality” and “would have not moved the needle forward on the ground”.

“It’s not an issue about isolation. It’s an issue about what we think is best to try to end this conflict as soon as possible and also to help facilitate more humanitarian assistance going into Gaza,” Wood said.

“We can’t just snap our fingers and the conflict stops. This is a very, very difficult situation,” he said