New Worker Banner

The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain

World condemns US veto over Gaza!

by our Arab Affairs correspondent

American imperialism has once again vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s months-long genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the alarm over the “inhumane” humanitarian situation in Gaza, which continues to deteriorate as Israel’s bombs keep falling on the besieged territory. Palestinian guerrillas are launching deadly raids on Israeli positions in the occupied West Bank and the Israeli army admits it has “not defeated” all four Hamas battalions active in the central Gaza Strip.

The Americans are being denounced all around the world for scuppering a peace resolution at the United Nations. The Algeria-drafted resolution called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the “unconditional” release of prisoners, with representatives of 13 countries at the 15-member Security Council voting in favour of the resolution and Britain abstaining. The veto, which marks the third time the Americans have opposed such a resolution, drew criticism from many countries including People’s China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and France.

Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said the US veto marked “another black page in the history of the Security Council.” Nebenzia said the USA was trying to play for time so that Israel could complete its “inhumane plans” for Gaza, namely to squeeze the Palestinians out of the territory and completely “cleanse” the enclave. The Russian envoy added that no matter how bitter the “aftertaste” of the vote may be, “we are not in the mood to give up”.

And China warned on Wednesday that Washington’s veto pushed the war in Gaza into an “even more dangerous” situation. “China voted in favour of the draft resolution,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told the media in Beijing. “The United States has once again single-handedly vetoed it, pushing the situation in Gaza into an even more dangerous situation, in which all parties concerned... have expressed their strong disappointment and dissatisfaction.”

Mao Ning said halting Israeli aggression was a “moral obligation”. The “humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming extremely serious, and regional peace and stability have been severely impacted,” Mao said. “The Security Council must take action as quickly as possible to bring a halt to hostilities. This is a moral obligation that cannot be put off… we will continue to work with all parties in the international community to push the Security Council to take further responsible and meaningful actions, and make unremitting efforts to quell the war in Gaza at an early date”.

In Geneva WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an immediate halt to the fighting and demanded unhindered access to international aid. “Gaza has become a death zone. Much of the territory has been destroyed,” Ghebreyesus said. “What type of world do we live in when people cannot get food and water, or where people who cannot even walk are not able to receive care? What type of world do we live in when hospitals must close because there is no more power or medicines to help save patients, and they are being targeted by military forces?”

Meanwhile in Israel a rabid Zionist attempt to kick a communist MP out of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, was brought to a halt when it failed to achieve the quorum needed for expulsion on Monday. Eighty-five MPs voted to kick out Ofer Cassif who had been falsely accused of supporting Hamas’ armed struggle after he signed a petition supporting South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Though all the rabid hardline Zionist blocs supported the motion it was still five short of the number needed to expel the communist from the 120-strong Israeli parliament. Cassif was supported by his own Democratic Front for Peace and Equality bloc (Hadash) and their allies in the Araqb Movement for Renewal (Ya’al). Most members of the liberal Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party abstained after their leader Yair Lapid, who was absent, said that he would not vote for the impeachment and gave his MPs a free hand. And all the four Knesset members from the Israeli Labour Party boycotted the vote.

Following the vote, Hadash-Ta’al MPs hugged Cassif, while the assorted right-wing and racist MPs screamed their disappointment, with the two sides appearing on the verge of coming to blows in the Knesset.