UNITED NATIONS  -  The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the unconditional release of all hostages, but did not make one contingent on the other.

All other members of the 15-seat council voted in favour of the resolution, which was sponsored by the panel’s 10 non-permanent members. It came some thirteen months into the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which began when Hamas-led terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

“A durable end to the war must come with the release of the hostages. These two urgent goals are inextricably linked. This resolution abandoned that necessity, and for that reason, the United States could not support it,” said Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood.

A senior US official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of Wednesday’s vote, said Britain had put forward new language that the US would have supported as a compromise, but that was rejected by the elected members. The official claimed some members were more interested in bringing about a US veto than compromising on the resolution, accusing US adversaries Russia and China of encouraging those members.

“China kept demanding ‘stronger language’ and Russia appeared to be pulling strings with various… members,” the official said. “There’s some sense that some… members regret that those responsible for the drafting allowed the process to be manipulated for what we consider to be cynical purposes,” the official added. This was the fourth Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza vetoed by the US since the start of the war.