On October 19, 2023, Professor Liu Zhongmin of the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University was interviewed by Global Times on the Security Council's vote on Israel-Palestine, the full text of which is below:
China ‘deeply disappointed’ at US veto to UN Gaza resolution
US' rejection of a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for a humanitarian pause to provide millions of people in the Gaza Strip with life-saving relief has come under fire. Analysts said that the US, by showing one-sided support for Israel, has failed to defuse the tense situation and has taken a stance in opposition to the rest of the world by destroying the international efforts that're trying to bring a truce to the conflict in the Middle East.
Twelve members voted in support of the Brazilian-drafted resolution on Wednesday and the US was the sole Council member to vote against it. The US is on the ground doing the hard work of diplomacy, according to the US ambassador to the UN, who stated this after the vote, media reported.
The US' veto to the resolution has been criticized. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference on Thursday that China is deeply disappointed with the US' obstruction of the Security Council's adoption of the draft resolution on the Palestinian question.
We have always believed that when dealing with international regional hotspot issues, major countries should adhere to objectivity and impartiality, maintain calm and restraint, and take the lead in abiding by international law. We hope that the US can play a constructive role and promote the prompt return of the issue to the track of political settlement, Mao said.
After the vote of the UN resolution, China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun expressed disappointment and said that the result is unbelievable. He noted that certain countries talked about the importance for the Council to take the right actions. However, the way they voted only makes us question their willingness to let the Council take any actions and their sincerity in finding a solution to the problem, said Zhang.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also noted that We have just been witnesses once again of hypocrisy and the double standards of our American colleagues, Reuters reported. A draft resolution proposed by Russia was put to vote previously and was vetoed.
The situation has deteriorated as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues. As of press time, the death toll in Gaza stands at more than 3,400. In Israel, at least 1,400 people have been killed since the October 7 Hamas attacks, according to data from media reports.
The UN Security Council decided to vote on the resolution as the explosion at the Gaza hospital alarmed the whole world and Israel is reportedly to intensify its bombardment of Gaza before entering it. The resolution aims to provide a short-term truce, buying more time for diplomatic mediation and humanitarian assistance. However, the US squandered this chance, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.
At least 500 people were murdered on Tuesday when a huge explosion shook a hospital in Gaza City that was crowded with injured people and other Palestinians looking for safety. According to media reports, the Israeli military accused a missile fired by other Palestinian militants, while Hamas attributed the incident to an Israeli attack.
Since the Trump administration, the UN has been powerless to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in large part because of the US' one-sided backing of Israel under the one-vote veto, and because rivalries between the major countries have spread to the UN Security Council, said Liu.
The US has continuously backed Israel at the UN in an endeavor to make it an unsinkable aircraft in the Middle East and the region's most dependable friend. The US' veto on Wednesday is to show both its unwavering stance and its unique links to Israel, Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times.
The US is also supporting Israel for domestic political reasons. Sun noted that currently, the Republican Party has made a lot of criticisms of the Biden administration, believing that Biden's unsmooth advancement of the two-state solution has led to threats to Israel's security. To respond to the rhetoric, Biden chose to stand entirely on the side of Israel to serve for the upcoming election.
The US has entered the early election season, and the Biden administration must take a stern stance on supporting Israel as supporting Israel has almost become politically correct in the US, let alone the enormous influence of Jewish lobby organizations, religious groups, the public opinion media, and policy-shaping power in Congress, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
However, one of Biden's goals when he travelled to Israel should have been to persuade it to refrain from misusing military force in Gaza since such conduct would go against US' regional interests. However, the US is finding it challenging to persuade Israel into cooperating by taking moderate actions, said Li.
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden ended his visit to Israel, during which he offered a heaping dose of vocal support to Israel and a plea for Israelis not to allow their rage over the Hamas attack to consume them, according to media reports, along with growing criticism and mockery as his visit failed to calm concerns of escalating hostilities.
The US is in an awkward position because it warned Israel not to occupy Gaza but then vetoed a UN resolution to give Israel more time for its military action in Gaza, which reflects the contradiction of its stance on Israel and the Middle East strategy, Li noted.
In other words, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is just another example of how places where the US is heavily involved frequently devolve into chaos, said Li.
Increasing discontent against US
Analysts noted that rising discontent has been seen not only in the US but also internationally as a result of the US' strong and one-sided support for Israel. US media reported hundreds of demonstrators descended on a congressional building in Washington on Wednesday afternoon to demand a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The US' veto to the UN resolution and Biden's one-sided support to Israel are fanning the flame by offering more time for Israel to take reprisal military actions in Gaza, which is complicating and prolonging the conflict and leading to more catastrophic humanitarian crisis, analysts said.
They also noted that the US is turning a blind eye to the suffering of people in the Gaza Strip which showed how hypocritical it is when talking about human rights.
Sun also observed a change -- unlike the last resolution, which was vetoed by other nations, the US was the only Council member to block a resolution on the conflict that had been placed before the UN on Wednesday. This demonstrates that as the humanitarian catastrophe grew worse, the international community -- especially several European nations -- knew that an urgent ceasefire was required.
The US has distanced itself from the rest of the world and stands in opposition to the international community, said Sun, noting that a responsible power should not act in this manner.
Li noted that generally speaking, the US has always played the role of a spoiler in the UN Security Council. It will vigorously promote proposals or resolutions that meet its own political needs and abandon rules when encountering a resolution that does not meet its domestic political needs -- it is a very typical speculator and opportunist.
Analysts noted that the US' rejection of the resolution would put the two-state solution and the cease-fire agreement at risk, casting shadow on the international efforts in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. What's worse is that it can cause the conflict to spiral out of control.
Currently, it is vital to allow for humanitarian aid and to end hostilities, since if the conflict persists, further humanitarian crises would arise and the scope of the war would grow, said Sun.
Source: Global Times
(The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author or the interviewee, and do not represent the position of this research institution)
