Dr. Kholoud Al-Obaidi: The American veto is a violation of international law because maintaining peace and security is one of the basic duties of the Security Council

Dr. Rifat Sayed Ahmed: America’s veto is an extension of political hypocrisy and a continuation of a long history of its interventions to protect the Israeli occupation

Aziz Al-Assa: America has become devoted to what responds to the crazy and deviant ambitions that nest in the minds of the occupation leaders

Amir Makhoul: The Security Council is unable to take decisive decisions on the Palestinian issue, which requires the formation of international blocs and alliances

Muhannad Hafizoglu: Washington uses this veto as a tool to escalate the situation and impose its vision in the region in an effort to create a new Middle East

Last Wednesday, the administration of current US President Joe Biden used its veto power to thwart a Security Council resolution to stop the war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, confirming its absolute support for the Israeli far-right government in the holocaust that has entered its second year in Gaza.

Writers and analysts who spoke to Al-Quds believe that Washington’s vote alone against the resolution puts it in confrontation with all members of the Security Council, including its traditional allies, which confirms its political isolation with Israel, due to its insistence on its approach that is hostile to the Palestinian people, justice, and international law. They pointed out that it sees Israel as the spearhead of its colonial project in the region.

They warned that the US veto is being used by America as a pressure card to impose its vision in the region in an effort to create a new Middle East, which portends that the situation will escalate and Israeli aggression will expand, threatening the security and stability of the entire region.

They stressed that the American talk about calm and relief aid is nothing but an American political lie, aiming to cover up its absolute bias towards the Israeli aggression, and to maintain the status quo, which is confirmed by its use of the veto last Wednesday, while famine is escalating in the Gaza Strip, and killing, terror and epidemics are spreading, and the victims are in the streets and under the rubble, most of them children and women.

America is obstructing the work of the international organization

“Once again, the United States has violated international law by voting alone, with 14 votes against, a draft resolution submitted by 10 elected members of the Council calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza that is respected by all parties,” said Dr. Kholoud Al-Obaidi, a specialist in political science and international law.

She added that "the draft resolution stresses the demand that the parties comply with their obligations under international law with regard to the persons they detain and enable the civilian population in the Gaza Strip to immediately obtain basic services and humanitarian assistance necessary for their survival."

Dr. Al-Obaidi stressed that the veto exercised by the United States is a violation of international law because maintaining international peace and security is one of the basic duties of the Security Council, and the United States has no right to stand against a resolution calling for a ceasefire, and that by doing so, the United States is obstructing the work of the international organization.

She pointed out that "the functions and powers of the Security Council are stipulated in Article 24 of the Charter, and that the functions and duties of the Security Council are "the maintenance of international peace and security, and were granted to the five permanent member states of the Council so that the five permanent member states may agree for the sake of peace and not to obstruct the work of the United Nations."

Al-Obaidi pointed out that she had previously submitted a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in which she confirmed that Article 24 of the Charter does not grant a right of veto, but rather states that “the members of the Security Council have primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and they agree that the Council acts on their behalf in carrying out its duties under these responsibilities.” Paragraph 24 does not grant a right of veto.

She added that Article 24, paragraph 2, stipulates that the Security Council, in carrying out these duties, must act “in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations and with the specific powers granted to the Security Council to enable it to carry out these duties.”

Al-Obaidi stressed that the use of the veto in the draft resolution is inconsistent with the United Nations Charter and the purposes and principles of the body.

She added that Article 2 (paragraph 1) states that the United Nations "is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members," noting that the veto vote demonstrates the United States' disdain for the will of the international community and the purposes and objectives of the international organization.

The American political orientation is Israeli-oriented.

Dr. Rifat Sayed Ahmed, head of the Jaffa Center for Research and Studies in Cairo, said: “I believe that the American veto constitutes a continuation of a long history of American interventions to protect the Israeli occupation, whether on the military level, as we see in this recent war where all American weapons available to the entity are being used, or on the political level through international organizations and bodies that provide it with full political cover worldwide.”

He added: "Historically, this entity is protected by the United States, and this veto is part of a long series of American protections for it."

Sayed Ahmed pointed out that "the recent American veto confirms the historical American hypocrisy in dealing with the Palestinian issue." He added: "They claim that they seek to achieve peace, but in reality, what they seek is to fuel wars," noting that placing trust in American policy is misplaced, because the American, in his political orientation, is completely Israeli in his inclinations, and all American policy is, in essence, Israeli policy.

Arab resistance and boycott of Israel and America

Dr. Sayed Al-Hamad believed that “the real protection for the Arab nation lies in the choice of resistance, and this choice is not limited to the Palestinians or the Lebanese only, but rather includes the Arab nation as a whole, especially its armies.”

He said: "It is necessary for these armies to move to impose a strong will on the Israeli and American enemies."

He stressed that "there are many possible forms for this movement, whether on the military level or through the Arab regimes," explaining that one of the simplest of these forms is the Arab boycott of Israel and America, especially America, because, as we mentioned, it represents Israel directly.

"In addition, there are effective tools for economic boycott that can hurt both the Israeli entity and the United States, and push them towards justice in this conflict and abandon hypocrisy," he said.

He concluded by stressing that "the American protection of the Israeli entity is nothing but protection of the aggression itself, and any other description is wrong, as the real enemy we face is America, not just Israel."

America considers Israel the spearhead of its colonial project in the region

Writer and researcher Aziz Al-Assa stressed that “since the establishment of the Hebrew state, America has only looked at the region with one eye, in which it sees Israel as the spearhead of its colonial project in the region, and what achieves its security, political and economic interests.”

He pointed out that "in the last three decades, the right has been at the head of the Hebrew state, and America has become devoted to everything that responds to the crazy and deviant ambitions that nest in the minds of the occupation leaders, who no longer see the existence of any Palestinian partner from the sea to the river, knowing that their demographic size exceeds half."

He added: "This Israeli persistence towards a people who possess land, history and civilization would not have happened without the absolute American support, which constitutes a major part of the biased international position."

He pointed out that the American negotiator, who wears the guise of a mediator in the region, is an Israeli par excellence, and any statements he makes that show his neutrality are just throwing dust in people's eyes.

He said: "Any American activity in international organizations, especially the UN Security Council, is an Israeli activity par excellence."

"It is illogical to expect justice from the United States to pressure Israel to stop its crimes against the Palestinians, including the genocide in the Gaza Strip, and the settlement plans and systematic destruction in the West Bank and Lebanon," Al-Assa added.

He pointed out that "what is happening in Lebanon in terms of destroying infrastructure and targeting state sovereignty is part of this policy."

The United States has become isolated.

Political analyst and writer Amir Makhoul said: “I believe that the recent American veto has somewhat different implications. The position is not only directed towards the region or the traditional American position, but rather indicates that the United States has become isolated. This development is important, and the United States must realize it.”

He added: "Even the other member states of the Security Council did not use their veto power in this issue. On the contrary, most of them supported the resolution, which highlights the support of most countries in the world for a different position. These facts confirm that the current international system, as we know it, cannot be an influential factor in resolving the Palestinian issue."

Makhoul stressed that "the transformation that was initially launched at the Palestinian level has begun to gain Arab awareness as well. This awareness means the necessity of forming international blocs and alliances that include: Palestine, Arab countries, Islamic and African countries, and other countries around the world, especially since Latin America constitutes the overwhelming majority in the United Nations General Assembly."

He pointed out that "in the end, it turned out that the Security Council is unable to take decisive decisions, and is completely paralyzed with regard to the Palestinian issue, while it may be able to take decisions on other issues, but Palestine is at the forefront of the obstacles."

As for the American veto, Makhoul said it was not surprising. The American position has always been consistent, and it is not expected to change unless there is a radical shift in US policy towards Israel, which seems far-fetched.

American talk about appeasement to maintain the status quo

As for calls for calm and providing relief aid, Makhoul confirmed that they aim to maintain the status quo.

He said: "The United States may sometimes announce its intention to stop the war, but in practice it continues to support Israel with all the elements that support its war, and this proves that the United States is not a neutral mediator, but rather a fundamental party, and the most important party alongside Israel in this issue."

Humanitarian aid is an American political lie

Regarding humanitarian aid, Makhoul said: “I think it is just an American political ‘lie’. All the projects that are put forward under the name of relief and humanitarian aid aim only to alleviate the burden of the Israeli occupation, not to end or undermine it, as happened with the last initiative that was launched, such as the ‘marine pier’, which was established months ago and went with the wind.”

He stressed that "America's goal in providing humanitarian aid is to use it as a pressure tool against Netanyahu, and sometimes as a negotiating card with the Palestinians and Arabs, but it does not play any real or actual role. If the United States wanted aid to enter in a real way, it would have pressured Israel to open all the crossings from Rafah to Abu Salem, and from the sea crossings to those through Arab countries such as the Gulf and Jordan."

Makhoul pointed out that "the crisis of the siege on Gaza, especially the huge quantities of aid stored in the Egyptian city of Arish, which Israel prevents from entering, is evidence of the failure of these attempts."

He added: "Therefore, the American endeavor here is nothing more than a kind of beautification of the American position and 'humanization' of this position, even though it is in fact a partner in the Israeli crime in all its dimensions from the beginning of the war until today.

The US veto establishes an escalating reality that is expanding geographically

In turn, the Turkish academic and political researcher, Dr. Muhannad Hafizoglu, said: “The United States’ use of the veto on the current events in the region reflects two things:

The first is that the United States is a key partner and main supporter of all the escalation and violence taking place in the region, whether in the Gaza Strip or southern Lebanon, and perhaps in other areas later. Davutoglu stressed that “Washington uses this veto as a tool to escalate the situation and impose its vision on non-international actors in the region, in an effort to create a new Middle East that is consistent with its strategic interests.”

He added: "The second thing is that the American veto shows a desire to complicate the situation for the administration of former President Donald Trump upon his return to the White House."

Oglu explained that the current stage is characterised by great danger and an increasing pace of escalation aimed at strengthening Israel's security and protecting its interests, with continued absolute support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Turkish researcher pointed out that "the current American policies, regardless of the ruling administration, seek to consolidate support for Israel under slogans and false promises that aim only to deceive public opinion."

The situation will remain without any tangible changes before mid-summer.

He added that the situation in the region will remain the same without any tangible changes before the middle of next summer, expecting a continuous escalation during the next eight months, with the scope of violence expanding geographically and increasing in intensity.

Dr. Oglu concluded by saying: “The American veto is nothing but a tool to achieve the United States’ goals in the region, goals that directly support Israel and perpetuate an escalating reality that threatens the security and stability of the entire region.”