The United States has vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza – the fourth time the Biden administration has blocked a ceasefire resolution since last October.
The remaining UNSC’s 14 members voted in favour of the latest resolution to end the war that has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians and turned Gaza into a wasteland.
Only four of the 14 resolutions, which have been proposed over the nearly 14 months of Israel’s war on Gaza, have passed.
How does UNSC voting work?
- The UNSC is made up of 15 members, of which five are permanent.
- The five permanent members, known as P5 – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – have veto power.
- This means any of the P5 members can block a draft resolution, even if backed by others.
- Nine out of the 15 members need to vote in favour of a resolution for it to pass, provided none of the P5 use veto power.
- Ten other members are non-permanent ones elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly. Since the war has spanned over 13 months, from October 2023 to November 2024, here’s how the non-permanent members have changed:
- October to December 2023: Gabon, Ghana, Mozambique, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Malta, Switzerland.
- January 2024 to present day: Algeria, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Guyana, Ecuador, Malta, Switzerland.
Here’s how UNSC member states have voted on the 14 resolutions proposed since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023:
October 16, 2023, draft resolution
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: Russia
- Main points: Humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, release of all Israeli captives taken on October 7, access to humanitarian aid and safe evacuation of civilians.
- Votes in favour: UAE, Russia, Mozambique, Gabon, China
- Votes against: US, UK, France, Japan
- Abstentions: Switzerland, Ghana, Ecuador, Brazil, Albania
- Read more here.
October 18, 2023, draft resolution
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: Brazil
- Main points: Humanitarian pauses to allow unhindered aid into Gaza, condemnation of violence against all civilians and the rescission of Israel’s evacuation order.
- Votes in favour: 12 in total: China, France, Switzerland, Ghana, Ecuador, Brazil, Albania, Mozambique, Gabon, UAE, France, Japan
- Abstentions: Russia, UK
- Vetoed by: US
- Read more here.
October 25, 2023, draft resolution
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: Russia
- Main points: Israel immediately cancels its evacuation order for northern Gaza.
- Votes in favour: 4 in total: China, Gabon, Russia and UAE
- Abstentions: Switzerland, Mozambique, Malta, Japan, Ghana, France, Ecuador, Brazil, Albania
- Vetoed by: US, UK
- Read more here.
October 25, 2023, draft resolution
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: US
- Main points: Humanitarian pause to allow aid into Gaza, backing the “inherent right of all states” to “self-defence” and for Hamas to release all its captives.
- Votes in favour: 10 in total: US, UK, France, Switzerland, Ghana, Ecuador, Albania, Gabon, Malta, Japan
- Votes against: UAE
- Abstentions: Brazil, Mozambique
- Vetoed by: Russia, China
- Read more here.
November 15, 2023 resolution
- This was the first UNSC resolution to pass, more than a month after the beginning of the war.
- Proposed by: Malta
- Main points: Urgent and extended humanitarian pauses to allow aid into Gaza and medical evacuations, establishment of corridors throughout Gaza to allow safeguarding of civilians, return of Israeli captives.
- Votes in favour: 12 in total: China, France, Switzerland, Ghana, Ecuador, Brazil, Albania, Mozambique, Gabon, Malta, UAE, Japan
- Abstentions: US, UK, Russia
- Read more here.
December 8, 2023, draft resolution
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: UAE
- Main points: Immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
- Votes in favour: 13 in total: Russia, China, France, Switzerland, Ghana, Ecuador, Brazil, Albania, Mozambique, Gabon, Malta, UAE, Japan
- Abstentions: UK
- Vetoed by: US
- Read more here.
December 22, 2023, resolution
- Result: Passed
- Proposed by: UAE
- Main points: Create the conditions for a sustainable suspension of hostilities, release of captives, unhindered humanitarian aid access.
- Votes in favour: 13 in total: UK, China, France, Switzerland, Ghana, Ecuador, Brazil, Albania, Mozambique, Gabon, Malta, UAE, Japan
- Abstentions: US, Russia
- Read more here.
February 20, 2024, draft resolution
- This was the first resolution vote since several non-permanent members were rotated in the UNSC.
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: Algeria
- Main points: Immediate humanitarian ceasefire and immediate and unconditional release of all captives.
- Votes in favour: 13 in total: Russia, China, France, Algeria, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Guyana, Ecuador, Malta, Switzerland
- Abstentions: UK
- Vetoed by: US
- Read more here.
March 22, 2024, draft resolution
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: US
- Main points: Imperative for an immediate and sustained ceasefire.
- Votes in favour: 11 in total: US, UK, France, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Ecuador, Malta, Switzerland
- Votes against: Algeria
- Abstentions: Guyana
- Vetoed by: Russia, China
- Read more here.
March 25, 2024, resolution
- Result: Passed
- Proposed by: The 10 non-permanent UNSC members.
- Main points: Immediate ceasefire during Ramadan, leading to a lasting, sustainable ceasefire. This was when two weeks were left of Ramadan.
- Votes in favour: 14 in total: Russia, China, UK, France, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Ecuador, Malta, Switzerland
- Abstentions: US
- Read more here.
April 18, 2024, draft resolution
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: Algeria
- Main points: For Palestine to gain full membership in the UN.
- Votes in favour: 12 in total: Russia, China, France, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Ecuador, Malta
- Votes against: UAE
- Abstentions: UK, Switzerland
- Vetoed by: US
- Read more here.
June 10, 2024, resolution
- Result: Passed
- Proposed by: US
- Main points: Ceasefire over three phases: phase one being the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners over six weeks, phase two being the permanent end to hostilities and phase three being a multi-year plan for the reconstruction of Gaza.
- Votes in favour: 14 in total: US, China, UK, France, Algeria, Sierra-Leone, Mozambique, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Guyana, Ecuador, Malta, Switzerland
- Abstentions: Russia
- Read more here.
November 20, 2024, draft resolution
- Result: Not passed
- Proposed by: The 10 elected UNSC members: Algeria, Sierra-Leone, Mozambique, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Guyana, Ecuador, Malta, Switzerland
- Main points: Immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, for all parties to comply with international law, immediate access to humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, release of Israeli captives in Gaza as well as Palestinian prisoners, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) remains the backbone of humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
- Votes in favour: 14 in total: China, UK, France, Russia, Algeria, Sierra-Leone, Mozambique, South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Guyana, Ecuador, Malta, Switzerland
- Vetoed by: US
- Read more here.
