•The principle of the GSI for lasting peace and security of the world will help to protect humanity from those with unbridled power.
•Twenty-six European Union member states have also appealed for a cessation of hostilities by Israel
The hue and cry following the United States’ veto of a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution demanding for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza has left no doubt that the US is up to no good in the Middle East. Britain’s abstention did not help matters one bit and was simply a face saving gesture to avoid the kind of backlash now facing the US.
The veto has exposed US’ doublespeak on matters of human rights and gives Israel a carte blanche in its operation in Palestine. Sadly, it will most likely escalate the dire humanitarian crisis in the area. There is also a risk of the war spreading as more countries are sucked in the historical politics of the two perennial adversaries. The US has also left no doubt that it owes allegiance only to itself, further eroding any credibility as an independent player in times of crisis.
On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned that the US's veto of the draft resolution pushes the situation in Gaza into a more dangerous one. "The protracted Palestinian-Israeli conflict has resulted in a devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza and severely impacted regional peace and stability. The Security Council must take immediate action to push for a ceasefire. This is a moral obligation that the Council cannot shy away from and a legal responsibility that the Council must assume," said spokesperson Mao Ning.
In an increasingly uncharacteristic fashion, the Arab states are standing up to US’ bullying and its undue influence in their internal affairs, and those of the Middle East in general. Following the US’ unfortunate vetoing of the UNSC resolution on Gaza ceasefire, on Thursday the Arab League (AL) voiced its concern on the country’s determination – three times now since October 2023 - to thwart a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.
The AL statement called out the US for undermining the international system. Individual Arab states also expressed their anger at the US action, with the Egyptian Foreign Minister denouncing the superpower for the "selectivity and double standards in dealing with wars and armed conflicts in various regions of the world." Other countries that denounced the US action include Syria, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Twenty-six European Union member states have also appealed for a cessation of hostilities by Israel to allow for humanitarian aid and create a lull for the negotiation of a ceasefire. Clearly, the superpower is becoming progressively isolated by the international community, particularly within the UN family. Its support for Israel in the latter’s war with Hamas has left it looking like a sore thumb, and exposed its pretentions to a rule based international order.
The big question is why the US is hell-bent on directly supporting Israel in its determined massacre of the innocents in Palestine. Definitely, the two allies are birds of a feather. Going by the wars that it has sparked around the world, the US is also an insatiable bloodthirsty entity in its pursuit of power and money.
It seems the stakes for the US in Israel are extremely high. Since October last year, the US has supplied Israel with arms worth hundreds of millions of dollars, obviously enriching the superpower’s military industrial complex. On November 2, the US House passed $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel. This is akin to hitting a mosquito with a hammer.
The arms deal is an echo of the country’s arms supplies to Ukraine – though now fatigued – in its proxy war with Russia. There is zero consideration about the loss of human life and other steep socioeconomic costs that come with such full blown wars. That the US is silently approving the slaughter in Palestine shows a total lack of value for human life, contrary to the deception that the country is the global human rights police.
The UNSC has been unable to cater for the security interests of every country, both the powerful and the weak. The powerful ones have run roughshod over those with no veto power. The US veto as the rest of the world cries out from the deaths of thousands of children and women who have totally nothing to do with the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on October 7, 2023.
China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI) seeks to treat the ills that have made the UNSC a lame duck. The principle of the GSI for lasting peace and security of the world will help to protect humanity from those with unbridled power. The Initiative has received support and appreciation from more than 100 countries and international and regional organizations. It has also been written into a large number of bilateral and multilateral exchange and cooperation documents between China and other countries and international organizations.
The first step should be incorporating the six commitments of the GSI in the UN Charter. Some of the key commitments include respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, and maintaining security in both traditional and nontraditional domains.
Stephen Ndegwa is the Executive Director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank, and a PhD student at the United States International University-Africa