A lot of countries voted no or abstained that ceasefire declaration, for good reasons.
The U.S. had offered substantial amendments to the draft, including a condemnation of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks that Israel says killed 1,200 people and in which 240 people were taken hostage.
Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her country abstained because there was no condemnation of Hamas.
“Israel needs to be able to address the threat posed by Hamas and it needs to do so in a manner that abides by international humanitarian law so that such an attack can never be carried out again,” she told the council.
None of these changes were made. So by some kind of logic, not condeming Hamas is more important than a humanitarian ceasefire. This is an amazing stance for an organization whose primary goal is supposed to be to work for peace on this planet.