Pro-Palestinian protesters in New York outraged by US veto

“CAs a North American citizen, I am outraged, very disappointed and embarrassed by the United States’ veto and that is why I am here protesting,” Lusa Alina, 29, told the agency.

“The United States simply does not want peace. It is a nation that benefits from war, it is a country whose foundations are based on genocide, death and wars”, she further argued, surrounded by a strong police force.

The United States today vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, despite the unprecedented appeal launched by the organization’s secretary-general, António Guterres.

The resolution, authored by the United Arab Emirates and supported by almost a hundred member states, was rejected with one vote against from the United States (permanent member, with veto power), 13 in favor and one abstention (United Kingdom ).

One of the women who had just arrived at the demonstration found out from Lusa that the United States had vetoed the draft resolution and became emotional.

“What? The United States blocked the resolution? The United States wants children to die? Are you serious?” she questioned, adding: “This is so unfair. How many children, how many mothers will have to die before this is over?”

This was the question most asked by the protesters, who raised Palestinian flags and posters with messages such as “we demand that the US support a ceasefire”, “no justice, no peace” or “bombs fell while you voted”, in a message direct to the 15 member states of the Security Council, which met this Friday twice to address the situation in Gaza.

Faris, a 40-year-old Palestinian and one of the few men present at the demonstration, said that the American veto shows how the United States is “willing to support Israel’s crimes and the genocide of the people of Palestine.”

“There are people who think that this all started on October 7th (the date of the Hamas attack), but they are wrong. This started much earlier, with a suffocating occupation that has lasted for decades. We are experiencing a new massacre and it is a shame for humanity allows this to happen, with funds from the United States, the United Kingdom and many other countries”, he lamented.

“We need all these crimes to be investigated and, above all, we need this to end”, urged the Palestinian man, arguing that the Israeli aggression is “ethnic cleansing”.

The draft resolution – now rejected by the United States – expressed “grave concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population”, stressed that “the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations should be protected in accordance with the international humanitarian law” and demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the guarantee of humanitarian access.

The vote took place after António Guterres invoked on Wednesday, for the first time since becoming UN Secretary-General, Article 99 of the United Nations Charter, asking the Security Council, the only UN body whose decisions are binding in nature, which would “avoid a humanitarian catastrophe” in the enclave and approve a ceasefire.

The number of Palestinians killed since the start of the war, on October 7, amounts to 17,487, of which 70% are women and children, added the same Hamas-controlled organization, noting that the total number of injured is 46,480.

Following Hamas’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, Israel responded with massive bombings and a ground offensive that killed nearly 17,500 people in Gaza. , especially women and children, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.

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