The United States used its veto to prevent the UN Security Council from adopting a resolution demanding “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. All other Council members (except Great Britain which abstained) voted for the resolution.
The American veto protecting Israel has been strongly condemned by all major international humanitarian organizations:
- Avril Benoît, general director of Médecins sans frontières: “By vetoing this resolution, the United States is the only one to vote against humanity. The American veto contrasts sharply with the values they claim to defend […] The American veto makes them complicit in the carnage in Gaza.”
- Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, said the US veto “demonstrates total disregard for the suffering of civilians in the face of a staggering death toll.”
- Human Rights Watch said in a statement: “By continuing to supply Israel with weapons [et] diplomatic cover while it commits atrocities, including by collectively punishing the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza, the United States risks being complicit in war crimes.”
US helps Israel in Gaza
American involvement on the Israeli side is obvious. American-made JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) bombs were used by Israel in two deadly airstrikes against homes full of civilians. Fragments of these bombs were found in the rubble of houses after the strikes which killed 43 civilians – 19 children, 14 women and 10 men. The organization Amnesty International has published photos of bomb debris with code numbers associated with guided bombs manufactured by Boeing.
Amnesty International found no indication that there were military objectives at the sites of the two strikes or that the people in the buildings were legitimate military targets.
Several international law specialists believe that the United States can be considered cobelligerent with Israel in the war against Hamas and therefore legally responsible for the war crimes committed.
The Pentagon has in fact dispatched military advisers to Israel, including General James Glynn of the Marine Corps, to help it in its invasion of Gaza. Glynn was to advise the Israelis on how to minimize civilian casualties in urban combat. We see every day on television what his advice was given.
The US Navy also repositioned the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford in the Eastern Mediterranean so it could help defend Israel if necessary.
Biden also asked Congress for an additional $14.3 billion to cover expenses caused by the Israel-Hamas war. The United States already provides Israel with $3 to $4 billion per year so that it has “a quantitative military advantage” over its neighbors.
Black Democratic Rep. Cori Bush denounced Israel’s military operation in Gaza as “ethnic cleansing” and called on the United States to stop funding Israel: “These atrocities are funded by billions of dollars from our America’s own taxes, while communities like mine in St. Louis suffer and need investment simply to live their lives here at home.”
The Jewish Voice for Peace, the left-wing anti-Zionist organization, joined some 140 other American Jewish organizations in calling for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. JVP also calls on Congress to oppose the supply of weapons to Israel.
An ordeal that never ends
Civilians account for 61% of deaths from airstrikes in Gaza, according to Israeli study. The newspaper Haaretz claims that the proportion of civilians killed in airstrikes is higher than those in all conflicts of the 20e century.
About two-thirds of the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza are already refugees, driven from their homes in Israel during the 1947-1949 war. They are victims of a second massive displacement.