Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Osama Mahmoud Abdel Khalek, condemned the U.S. veto in support of Israel at the Security Council in his remarks at Tuesday’s resumed 10th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly.
He stressed that “we all have a legal and moral duty to reject such a veto and refuse to let it serve as a political or legal shield for the continuation of the war.”
Abdel Khalek added that the veto does not just stand above international law, but also human conscience, which rejects the killing of children and innocent people in Gaza. He called on all countries to pressure Israel to end its aggression, lift the siege and starvation, allow unconditional humanitarian aid, and comply with UN resolutions and the precautionary measures issued by the International Court of Justice.
Since October 2023, the United States has vetoed at least four UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, blocking international efforts to halt the violence and deliver urgent humanitarian aid.
The United States was the sole member to vote against the resolutions, while the other 14 Security Council members, including Russia, voted in favor. Over the years, the United States has blocked at least 49 UN resolutions on Israel using its veto power.
The repeated misuse of the veto shows the need to reform the Security Council, especially by fixing the flaws in the veto system once and for all, urged Abdel Khalek.
The failure of these resolutions comes as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis worsens. UN agencies have warned of collapsing health services, mass displacement, and a rising death toll, with over 57,000 people reported to have been killed in Gaza.
Abdel-Khalek called the ongoing violence in Gaza “a stain on the conscience of the entire international community” that must end immediately. He added that “Palestinians are the only people enduring ongoing war crimes broadcast live to the world, with no end in sight.”
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