Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-backed United Nations Security Council resolution that called for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” in Gaza on Friday.
Eleven countries voted in favor of the resolution on Friday morning, while those two, along with Algeria, voted against it, and there was one abstention. This was the fourth attempt by the Security Council to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire, and the United States didn’t support any of the first three, none of which passed.
This iteration of the resolution included calls for a hostage deal and condemnation of Hamas, which carried out the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel that prompted the current war, instead of one that called for an unconditional ceasefire.
Following the failed vote, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized China and Russia’s votes as being made out of disdain for the U.S.
“Russia and China simply did not want to vote for a resolution that was penned by the United States because it would rather see us fail than to see this council succeed,” she said. “Even after inclusive consultations over weeks and weeks, even after negotiations and edits produced the draft that received overwhelming council support.”