Palestine slams U.S. veto of UN Gaza cease-fire resolution

The Palestinian presidency condemned a U.S. veto at the UN Security Council on Wednesday that blocked a resolution that demanded a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian news agency, Wafa, quoted a statement from the presidency that said, "The US administration's use of the veto for the fourth time encourages the Israeli occupation to continue its crimes against the Palestinian people and our Lebanese brothers."

The statement said the use of the veto emboldens Israel to defy "all international legitimacy resolutions and international law, foremost among them the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice issued by the UN General Assembly, which called for halting the aggression, ending the occupation, and withdrawing from the Gaza Strip."

"This makes the US responsible for the continuation of the aggression against our people and our land," it added.

The U.S. vetoed the resolution earlier Wednesday that also urged the prevention of the starvation of Palestinians.

The draft resolution, submitted by 10 elected members of the Council -- Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland --- received 14 votes.

It "demanded an immediate, unconditional, and permanent cease-fire to be respected by all parties," while reiterating the "demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" as it urged the Security Council to fulfill its responsibility to maintain international peace and security.

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 launched a genocidal war on Gaza following an attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas. The ensuing Israeli onslaught has killed nearly 44,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured more than 104,000.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn increasing international recognition, with figures and institutions labeling Israel's 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.