Unlock the Publisher’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, editor of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Russia and China vetoed a US resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, blocking Washington’s clearest attempt to distance itself from Israel’s war with Hamas.
Moscow and Beijing’s decision to veto the resolution on Friday highlighted the United States’ diplomatic isolation at the United Nations, where it traditionally uses the Security Council’s veto to protect Israel.
Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, called the American initiative “hypocritical” and said it would make the Security Council an “instrument for advancing Washington’s destructive policy in the Middle East.”
Russian and Chinese vetoes meant that the resolution was defeated, despite receiving 11 votes in the 15-member Security Council. Algeria also voted against the text.
The measure, which called for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” as part of a deal to release hostages held by Hamas, came after months of frustration in Washington with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
The US language contrasts with calls from countries such as Russia and China for an immediate ceasefire, even if the hostages are not released at the same time.
However, it marked the most significant rupture between Israel and the United States at the United Nations since the 2016 dispute over settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Washington has already vetoed United Nations resolutions calling for a ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron said after the vote that Paris would try to resume negotiations based on a French project.
“For a long time there was American reluctance that has now been overcome,” he said, also highlighting regional diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire. “We might be able to convince China and Russia not to veto.”
Senior Israeli, US, Egyptian and Qatari officials were expected to meet in Qatar on Friday for further talks aimed at brokering a deal to release the hostages and secure a truce.
American officials had been working for several weeks on their U.N. text, which also warned against Israeli plans for an offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled Israeli attacks in the north.
But Netanyahu said on Friday that he told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a meeting earlier in the day that an attack on Rafah was essential to achieving Israel’s war aims.
“We have no way to defeat Hamas without going to Rafah and eliminating the rest of the battalions,” the Israeli prime minister said. “And I said it [Blinken] I hope we will do it with the support of the United States, but if necessary, we will do it alone.”
Blinken said Thursday that “a major ground operation in Rafah would be a mistake and something we cannot support.”
The Secretary of State added: “There is no place for the many civilians crowded together in Rafah to escape from danger. And for those who would inevitably remain, it would be a humanitarian disaster.”
Israel launched its offensive on Gaza after Hamas carried out a devastating attack on Israel on October 7, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, according to Israeli officials.
But U.S. officials have become increasingly vocal in recent weeks about their concerns about the growing humanitarian cost of the Israeli assault, which has so far killed about 32,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials, and displaced more than 1.7 million of the country’s 2 .3 million inhabitants of Gaza.
The UN warned of the risk of “imminent famine” in northern Gaza, adding that 1.1 million people in the besieged Strip faced “catastrophic levels of food insecurity”.
The EU approved a statement on Thursday evening condemning Israel’s behavior in Gaza and warning of a possible assault on Rafah.
The bloc’s 27 leaders called for “an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
The EU statement specifically refers to the “imminent risk of famine”. “This is a priority for us,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose government holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations, called Russia and China’s veto “petty”.
“Russia and China simply did not want to vote for a resolution signed by the United States, because they would rather see us fail than see this Council succeed,” he said.
Additional report by Paola Tamma in Brussels