After Brazil’s Foreign Ministry and its UN Mission in New York worked tirelessly over the past 36 hours to produce a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that, in the words of Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, “would be palatable to everyone” at the UN Security Council, the U.S. today vetoed it. Twelve members approved the resolution, and Russia and the U.K. abstained.
The resolution Brazil presented today included a strong condemnation of Hamas’s “heinous terrorist attacks on Israel” on Oct. 7. It also called on all parties to comply with their obligations under international law, especially international humanitarian law; urged there be “continuous, sufficient and uninterrupted provision of essential goods and services for civilians, including electricity, water, fuel, food and medical supplies,” in accordance with international humanitarian law,” and called for “humanitarian pauses” to allow UN humanitarian agencies and their partners, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and other “impartial” agencies to work toward creating humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to the civilian population. Israel’s Gaza evacuation order should also be revoked, it read, and there should be immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
