I know why the UN Security Council is irrelevant to Gaza. I was there when the US stood up for Israel

On October 7, 2023, similar galore astir the world, I awoke to quality of the horrific attacks perpetrated by Hamas against much than 1,200 guiltless Israeli, American and different civilians who that time were doing thing different than going astir their lives. The tv newscasts were bone-chilling – pictures of mutilated babies; of fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers slain successful beforehand of household members; of bid activists murdered successful acold blood; and of the taking of 250 hostages, immoderate of whom much than 20 months connected are inactive being held.  

Later that day, the United States called for an exigency gathering of the United Nations Security Council to code this wide panic attack, the largest murder of Jews since the Holocaust. As the American ambassador to the UN liable for Security Council matters, I represented the United States astatine the October 8 exigency gathering and demanded the assembly contented a connection expressly condemning Hamas for the ruthless violent attacks.  

Unfortunately, Russia, China and a fewer different assembly members refused to endorse specified a statement. To enactment it simply, their refusal to telephone a spade a spade was abhorrent and incomprehensible. Note: To this day, the Security Council has yet to formally state Hamas a violent group. 

TRUMP ADMIN STANDS BY ISRAEL, REJECTS UN RESOLUTION BACKED BY UK AND FRANCE

Going into the October 8 exigency Security Council meeting, determination had rightfully been overmuch planetary sympathy for Israel – and surely an anticipation that Israel would person to respond militarily. However, erstwhile Israel took measures to support itself, a close enshrined successful Article 51 of the UN Charter, galore nations, astir notably from the Global South, condemned Israel’s effect arsenic disproportionate and utilized it arsenic a rallying outcry to further isolate Israel successful the multilateral strategy and beyond.  

US UN Ambassador Robert Wood votes against, and vetoes, a draught solution connected Israel astatine the U.N. Security Council. November 20, 2024. (UNTV)

To maine and galore of my U.S. authorities colleagues, this was not unexpected. Since joining the UN successful 1948, determination has been an unfortunate diminution successful enactment for Israel astatine the satellite body, a diminution that began to accelerate pursuing the play of decolonization successful the 1960s. Many erstwhile colonies wrongly began to presumption the Israel-Palestinian struggle done the prism of their ain struggles against European colonizers, with Israel viewed arsenic a colonizer and the Palestinians arsenic being colonized. 

Israel’s narration with the UN reached a nadir successful 1975, erstwhile the UN General Assembly passed a highly politicized solution equating Zionism with racism, a papers that was yet revoked by the UNGA successful 1991. Regrettably, efforts by the Palestinians and their supporters to isolate Israel astatine the UN person not abated and successful information person intensified since October 7, 2023.  

ISRAELI OFFICIALS OBJECT TO EXPECTED UN SECURITY COUNCIL CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION

During my two-plus years successful New York arsenic ambassador, I engaged successful a large woody of hard diplomacy connected the concern successful Gaza and cast the sole veto of 2 UNSC draught resolutions related to the war, some of which lacked a wide condemnation of Hamas, a nonstop linkage of a ceasefire to the merchandise of hostages, and a notation to Israel’s Article 51 rights. 

Had these texts been adopted by the council, they would not person delivered an contiguous ceasefire oregon a release of the hostages – but surely would person fixed Hamas the clip and abstraction to rearm. Other assembly representatives privately agreed but nevertheless felt expanding unit from their capitals to nutrient a assembly papers calling for an contiguous ceasefire. 

From the opening of the struggle done the extremity of the Biden administration, the U.S. regularly proffered originative alternatives connected ceasefire language, portion astir different assembly members insisted connected an explicit notation to an contiguous ceasefire. On uncommon occasions, the assembly was capable to find communal crushed connected Gaza wording erstwhile it focused connected upholding the principles of humanitarian assistance and extortion of civilians. 

NETANYAHU SLAMS 'TERRORIST-SUPPORTING' UN COUNCIL THAT ACCUSED ISRAEL OF COMMITTING SEXUAL CRIMES 

But erstwhile immoderate members opted to wantonness assembly unity and unit votes connected resolutions containing unacceptable ceasefire language, the U.S. was near with nary prime but to workout its veto. Before each veto was cast, we recognized the imaginable collateral harm to America’s planetary reputation; however, successful our presumption the adoption of an unbalanced assembly solution would person made a ceasefire neither practicable nor implementable fixed the highly charged and highly analyzable concern connected the ground.  

In the United States’ view, the constitution of a constricted and credible dialog transmission was indispensable for achieving an effective, durable and sustainable extremity to the war. While the Biden medication didn’t execute an extremity to the warfare connected its watch, it did negociate a three-phase diplomatic model to intermission the warring and merchandise the hostages, which was yet blessed by the assembly and backed by the Trump administration. 

To this day, 1 cardinal origin hampering assembly unity connected Gaza is Moscow and Beijing’s exploitation of the concern determination for a wide geopolitical end: deflect planetary attraction distant from Russia’s savage warfare against Ukraine. In effect to Russian statements successful the Council connected Gaza, which habitually condemned the U.S. for allegedly facilitating Israeli actions, I perpetually reminded assembly members that Russia was successful nary presumption to knock immoderate state fixed the horrific warfare of aggression it was conducting successful Ukraine.  

The United States again vetoes a U.N. Security Council solution calling an 'immediate, unconditional and imperishable ceasefire' betwixt Israel and Hamas connected June 4, 2025, successful New York City. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

I besides publically warned Chinese diplomats that should they proceed making mendacious accusations astir the U.S. concerning Gaza, I would instantly telephone retired their country’s enactment to Russia’s subject concern base, refuting Beijing’s fictitious assertion that it supports neither enactment to the conflict. Russia and China indispensable extremity their politicization of Gaza and either lend constructively to bid efforts oregon simply get retired of the way. 

ISRAEL'S AMBASSADOR SLAMS UN'S SILENCE ON HAMAS: 'HAS NO RESOLUTIONS'

While I had expected Russia and China to instrumentality adversarial positions, I was highly disappointed that 3 U.S. partners connected the council, Slovenia, Algeria and Guyana, chose to regularly piggyback connected Russian and Chinese governmental shenanigans to propulsion for much urgent assembly enactment connected the issue. Their purpose was to shame the U.S. and compel it to alteration people from its steadfast enactment of Israel successful the war with Hamas.  

All the while, the 3 had been keenly alert that Washington was conducting delicate negotiations down the scenes with Israel, Qatar and Egypt connected steps to facilitate a durable extremity to the warring and easiness civilian suffering successful Gaza. But alternatively of getting afloat down those steps and moving with america successful bully faith, they preferred to ratchet up nationalist unit connected the U.S. and disregard American concerns astir however their actions would beryllium manipulated by Hamas and different malign actors successful the region – Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis – to the detriment of determination bid and security.  

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Given persistent assembly divisions implicit the warfare successful Gaza, immoderate UN subordinate states proceed to laic the diplomatic predicate for a aboriginal General Assembly solution (non-legally binding) calling for sanctions, an arms embargo and different pugnacious planetary measures against Israel. 

The caller U.S. veto of different assembly solution connected Gaza volition surely supply substance for those efforts. As I write, the Palestinians and their allies proceed to ponder further pathways to spell aft Israel passim the UN system. There is adjacent treatment successful immoderate UN circles astir suspending Israel’s voting rights successful the General Assembly, an enactment that would profoundly choler Washington and trigger terrible governmental consequences for the UN.  

FAMILIES OF AMERICAN OCT. 7 HAMAS ATTACK VICTIMS SUE IRAN FOR ‘CRUCIAL ROLE’ IN SUPPORTING MASSACRE

Since this tragic struggle began, I person been mystified arsenic to wherefore galore UN officials judge that each the U.S. has to bash is instruct Israel to extremity its pursuit of Hamas and past someway a magical extremity to the warring would materialize.  

On their part, I consciousness a genuine reluctance to dainty Israel arsenic a morganatic authorities with its ain nationalist information concerns. While the United States does so person power with Israel, it is naïve astatine champion for these colleagues to deliberation America tin simply dictate to Jerusalem what it should and shouldn’t bash successful effect to what it perceives arsenic existential threats.  

Russia and China indispensable extremity their politicization of Gaza and either lend constructively to bid efforts oregon simply get retired of the way. 

Misguided unit connected the U.S., relentless efforts to isolate Israel, Russian and Chinese diversionary tactics, blatant antisemitism, and a reluctance by immoderate states to compromise proceed to stymie the Security Council’s quality to talk with 1 dependable connected ending the Gaza war. Until these unfortunate practices cease, the assembly volition stay irrelevant to a solution to Gaza and the broader Israel-Palestinian conflict. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While nary 1 tin disregard the unspeakable calamity that is present Gaza, it remains a information that those UN subordinate states that person power with Hamas person made a strategical determination not to usage it. The hesitancy of galore countries implicit the years to publically condemn Hamas arsenic a violent radical has lone fixed it the oxygen it needs to transportation on, nary substance however overmuch decease and suffering Palestinians successful Gaza proceed to experience.   

To extremity this war, Hamas indispensable disarm and disband. There volition not beryllium bid successful Gaza until it does. Gazans merit an accidental to unrecorded successful bid and to question a prosperous future. Hamas’ continued regularisation volition bring them neither. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ROBERT WOOD