Palestinian envoy to the UN, Majed Bamya, criticized a U.S. veto Wednesday of a proposed cease-fire resolution in the Gaza Strip, asserting there is "no justification" for blocking the resolution to end Israel's genocide.
"Israel will always claim conditions have not been met because its plans require it to continue this war, to annex the land and destroy the people," Bamya told the Security Council.
Describing Israel's ongoing attacks as an attempt to "annihilate a nation," he stressed that "14 months and we are still debating if a genocide must be stopped. There's no justification whatsoever for vetoing a resolution trying to stop the process."
He stressed the importance of an unconditional cease-fire, saying it was necessary to "save lives, all lives," and was the first step toward resolving the conflict.
"The resolution is not a dangerous message. This veto is a dangerous message to Israel that it can continue executing its plans, the very plans you oppose," he said.
Bamya argued that the U.S. veto, which blocked the demand for an unconditional cease-fire, effectively supported a war that was "killing, maiming, terrorizing, destroying an entire nation."
"When is it enough?" he asked, and called on the international community to stand for "life, freedom, and peace," and to reject the killing of civilians as a tool for political ends.
The U.S. vetoed a Security Council draft resolution earlier Wednesday that demanded an "immediate, unconditional, and permanent" cease-fire in Gaza.
It also urged the prevention of starvation of Palestinians.
The U.S. previously vetoed three Security Council draft resolutions that called for an urgent cease-fire in Gaza -- in October 2023, December 2023 and in February, while abstaining in votes on other draft resolutions.
Israel has launched a genocidal war on Gaza following a Hamas attack last year.
The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn increasing international recognition, with figures and institutions labeling Israeli actions as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
