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On October 7, 2023, like many all over the world, I awoke to information of the horrific assaults perpetrated by Hamas towards greater than 1,200 harmless Israeli, American and different civilians who that day had been doing nothing aside from going about their lives. The tv newscasts had been bone-chilling – footage of mutilated infants; of fathers, moms, sisters, brothers slain in entrance of members of the family; of peace activists murdered in chilly blood; and of the taking of 250 hostages, a few of whom greater than 20 months on are nonetheless being held.
Later that day, the USA referred to as for an emergency assembly of the United Nations Safety Council to handle this mass terror assault, the biggest homicide of Jews for the reason that Holocaust. Because the American ambassador to the UN answerable for Safety Council issues, I represented the USA on the October 8 emergency assembly and demanded the council concern a press release expressly condemning Hamas for the ruthless terrorist assaults.
Sadly, Russia, China and some different council members refused to endorse such a press release. To place it merely, their refusal to name a spade a spade was abhorrent and incomprehensible. Observe: To today, the Safety Council has but to formally declare Hamas a terrorist group.
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Going into the October 8 emergency Safety Council assembly, there had rightfully been a lot world sympathy for Israel – and definitely an expectation that Israel must reply militarily. Nevertheless, as soon as Israel took measures to defend itself, a proper enshrined in Article 51 of the And Constitution, many countries, most notably from the International South, condemned Israel’s response as disproportionate and used it as a rallying cry to additional isolate Israel within the multilateral system and past.
US UN Ambassador Robert Wooden votes towards, and vetoes, a draft decision on Israel on the U.N. Safety Council. November 20, 2024. (UNTV)
To me and plenty of of my U.S. authorities colleagues, this was not sudden. Since becoming a member of the UN in 1948, there was an unlucky decline in help for Israel on the world physique, a decline that started to speed up following the interval of decolonization within the Sixties. Many former colonies wrongly started to view the Israel-Palestinian battle via the prism of their very own struggles towards European colonizers, with Israel considered as a colonizer and the Palestinians as being colonized.
Israel’s relationship with the UN reached a nadir in 1975, when the UN Normal Meeting handed a extremely politicized decision equating Zionism with racism, a doc that was lastly revoked by the UNGA in 1991. Regrettably, efforts by the Palestinians and their supporters to isolate Israel on the UN haven’t abated and in reality have intensified since October 7, 2023.
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Throughout my two-plus years in New York as ambassador, I engaged in an excessive amount of tough diplomacy on the state of affairs in Gaza and forged the only veto of two UNSC draft resolutions associated to the conflict, each of which lacked a transparent condemnation of Hamas, a direct linkage of a ceasefire to the discharge of hostages, and a reference to Israel’s Article 51 rights.
Had these texts been adopted by the council, they might not have delivered an instantaneous ceasefire or a launch of the hostages – however actually would have given Hamas the time and house to rearm. Different council representatives privately agreed however nonetheless felt rising stress from their capitals to provide a council doc calling for an instantaneous ceasefire.
From the start of the battle via the top of the Biden administration, the U.S. repeatedly proffered artistic alternate options on ceasefire language, whereas most different council members insisted on an specific reference to an instantaneous ceasefire. On uncommon events, the council was capable of finding frequent floor on Gaza wording when it centered on upholding the ideas of humanitarian help and safety of civilians.
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However when some members opted to desert council unity and power votes on resolutions containing unacceptable ceasefire language, the U.S. was left with no selection however to train its veto. Earlier than every veto was forged, we acknowledged the potential collateral harm to America’s worldwide fame; nevertheless, in our view the adoption of an unbalanced council decision would have made a ceasefire neither practicable nor implementable given the extremely charged and very complicated state of affairs on the bottom.
In the USA’ view, the institution of a restricted and credible negotiation channel was important for attaining an efficient, sturdy and sustainable finish to the conflict. Whereas the Biden administration didn’t obtain an finish to the conflict on its watch, it did negotiate a three-phase diplomatic framework to pause the preventing and launch the hostages, which was finally blessed by the council and backed by the Trump administration.
To today, one key issue hampering council unity on Gaza is Moscow and Beijing’s exploitation of the state of affairs there for a transparent geopolitical finish: deflect worldwide consideration away from Russia’s savage conflict towards Ukraine. In response to Russian statements within the Council on Gaza, which habitually condemned the U.S. for allegedly facilitating Israeli actions, I consistently reminded council members that Russia was in no place to criticize any nation given the horrific conflict of aggression it was conducting in Ukraine.
The USA once more vetoes a U.N. Safety Council decision calling an ‘fast, unconditional and everlasting ceasefire’ between Israel and Hamas on June 4, 2025, in New York Metropolis. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu through Getty Pictures)
I additionally publicly warned Chinese language diplomats that ought to they proceed making false accusations in regards to the U.S. regarding Gaza, I’d instantly name out their nation’s help to Russia’s navy industrial base, refuting Beijing’s fictitious declare that it helps neither social gathering to the battle. Russia and China should finish their politicization of Gaza and both contribute constructively to peace efforts or just get out of the best way.
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Whereas I had anticipated Russia and China to take adversarial positions, I used to be extraordinarily disenchanted that three U.S. companions on the council, Slovenia, Algeria and Guyana, selected to repeatedly piggyback on Russian and Chinese language political shenanigans to push for extra pressing council motion on the difficulty. Their intention was to disgrace the U.S. and compel it to vary course from its steadfast help of Israel within the conflict with Hamas.
All of the whereas, the three had been keenly conscious that Washington was conducting delicate negotiations behind the scenes with Israel, Qatar and Egypt on steps to facilitate a sturdy finish to the preventing and ease civilian struggling in Gaza. However as an alternative of getting totally behind these steps and dealing with us in good religion, they most well-liked to ratchet up public stress on the U.S. and ignore American issues about how their actions could be manipulated by Hamas and different malign actors within the area – Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis – to the detriment of regional peace and safety.
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Given persistent council divisions over the conflict in Gaza, some UN member states proceed to put the diplomatic predicate for a future Normal Meeting decision (non-legally binding) calling for sanctions, an arms embargo and different powerful worldwide measures towards Israel.
The current U.S. veto of one other council decision on Gaza will definitely present gasoline for these efforts. As I write, the Palestinians and their allies proceed to ponder further pathways to go after Israel all through the UN system. There’s even dialogue in some UN circles about suspending Israel’s voting rights within the Normal Meeting, an act that may deeply anger Washington and set off extreme political penalties for the UN.
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Since this tragic battle started, I’ve been mystified as to why many UN officers consider that each one the U.S. has to do is instruct Israel to finish its pursuit of Hamas after which someway a magical finish to the preventing would materialize.
On their half, I sense a real reluctance to deal with Israel as a official state with its personal nationwide safety issues. Whereas the USA does certainly have affect with Israel, it’s naïve at finest for these colleagues to suppose America can merely dictate to Jerusalem what it ought to and shouldn’t do in response to what it perceives as existential threats.
Russia and China should finish their politicization of Gaza and both contribute constructively to peace efforts or just get out of the best way.
Misguided stress on the U.S., relentless efforts to isolate Israel, Russian and Chinese language diversionary techniques, blatant antisemitism, and a reluctance by some states to compromise proceed to stymie the Safety Council’s skill to talk with one voice on ending the Gaza conflict. Till these unlucky practices stop, the council will stay irrelevant to a decision to Gaza and the broader Israel-Palestinian battle.
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Whereas nobody can ignore the horrible tragedy that’s now Gaza, it stays a proven fact that these UN member states which have affect with Hamas have made a strategic determination to not use it. The hesitancy of many international locations over time to publicly condemn Hamas as a terrorist group has solely given it the oxygen it wants to hold on, regardless of how a lot loss of life and struggling Palestinians in Gaza proceed to expertise.
To finish this conflict, Hamas should disarm and disband. There is not going to be peace in Gaza till it does. Gazans deserve a chance to dwell in peace and to hunt a affluent future. Hamas’ continued rule will carry them neither.
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Robert Wooden served because the U.S. alternate consultant for particular political affairs within the UN from 2022 to 2025, with the rank of ambassador. He additionally was U.S. ambassador to the Convention on Disarmament from 2014 till 2021.
