The US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Thursday that demanded an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian access, underscoring Washington’s continued backing of Israel despite growing global calls to end the war.
The resolution received 14 votes in favour, with only the US opposing it.
Under council rules, the draft required at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from the body’s five permanent members – the US, UK, France, Russia and China – to pass.
The text expressed "grave concern at Israel’s ongoing expansion of its military operation in Gaza and the deepening of the suffering of civilians as a result, calling for its immediate reversal, and reaffirming its rejection of any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip".
It also expressed “deep alarm” after a report released last month by the world’s leading authority on food crises said Gaza City has become gripped by famine, and that it’s likely to spread across the territory without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Denmark, speaking on behalf of the 10 elected members of the UN Security Council, said the resolution underscores the body’s responsibility to act on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
“It sends a clear message. A message that the Security Council is not turning its back on starving civilians, on the hostages and the demand for a ceasefire” Denmark’s UN envoy Christina Markus Lassen told the chamber.
But Washington and Israel pushed back.
US Counselor Morgan Ortagus said the resolution risked reinstating “a failed system that has allowed Hamas to enrich and strengthen itself at the expense of civilians in need.”
“Gaza has humanitarian needs because of Hamas and because the international community turned a blind eye to the true use of the billions in aid that it provided,” Ms Ortagus added.
Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon dismissed the resolution outright, arguing it “will not release the hostages and will not bring security to the region.”
This is the second time since President Donald Trump returned to office in January that the US has vetoed a Security Council ceasefire resolution. It is the sixth draft resolution on the Gaza war vetoed by the US since the conflict started in October 2023.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
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Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The five pillars of Islam
