Biden admin vetoes UN Security Council draft resolution against Israel that would 'embolden Hamas'

After growing calls from members of Congress and pro-Israel voices, the Biden administration vetoed a draft resolution against the Jewish state at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.

The U.N. Security Council voted 14-1 in favor of the resolution sponsored by the 10 non-permanent members on the 15-member council, but it was not adopted because of the U.S. veto.

U.S. Ambassador Robert A. Wood issued a scathing indictment of the draft resolution that favored the U.S.-designated terrorist movement, Hamas, over the release of more than 100 hostages, including seven Americans held by the jihadi organization in Gaza. Wood also took many of the council members to task for seeking a "cynical" outcome and "path of discord."

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U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood votes against and vetoes a draft resolution on Israel at the U.N. Security Council on Nov. 20, 2024. (UNTV)

Wood said some members of the council wanted the U.S. to veto the resolution, implying the states preferred to stoke a clash rather than secure the freedom of the hostages.

Sitting in for Ambassador Linda-Thomas-Greenfield, he said the draft's demand for "an unconditional cease-fire with Hamas means this council accepts Hamas retaining power in Gaza. The United States will never accept this." He termed the resolution as a way to "embolden Hamas."

The palpable frustration of the U.S. ambassador was repeatedly expressed, stating America "worked for weeks to avoid this outcome" and "could not support [an] unconditional cease-fire that failed to release hostages."

Children look at photographs of kidnapped Israelis during a rally joined by hundreds in solidarity with Israel and those held hostage in Gaza, in Bucharest, Romania, on Nov. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

According to the resolution, which was overseen by Algeria, the measure sought for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire" to be imposed on Israel. The resolution did not guarantee the release of the hostages.

"This resolution would have sent a dangerous message to Hamas. There is no need to come back to the negotiating table. Hamas would have seen it as a vindication of cynical strategy," noted Wood.

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He stressed that Hamas wants the international community to forget about the hostages from more than 20 member states who have been held for 410 days. Wood cited Hamas’ bad faith negotiation strategy.

"Hamas has rejected deal after deal after deal. Some members of this council, in their public statements, ignore the callous intransigence of Hamas and indeed, fail to condemn Hamas, "he said.

The proposed resolution omitted any criticism of the terrorist organization Hamas, which slaughtered nearly 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas murdered more than 40 Americans on that day.

Palestinian terrorists of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, take part in a military parade to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip on July 19, 2023. ( MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

Wood noted that some members do not want to confront the reality that "It is not Israel standing in the way of the cease-fire. It is Hamas." He added that some members of the council would not recognize that Hamas instigated the war against Israel.

Following Wood's speech, French Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière thanked the sponsors of the draft and noted France "deeply regrets that it was not adopted today."

He warned that "The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is disastrous, and it continues to worsen day by day. International humanitarian law is being trampled underfoot. Against this background, the only response would have been, and remains, an immediate and permanent cease-fire."

A security council meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York City on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. ( Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, warned that "This resolution is just one of several assaults on Israel being planned at the United Nations, meant to preemptively and permanently undermine the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress."

Cruz told Fox News Digital that "I will work with my Republican colleagues and with President Trump to take whatever steps are necessary to undo these measures, including fundamentally reevaluating our relationship with the U.N. and the Palestinians, broadly cutting aid, imposing sanctions on specific officials responsible for those measures, and countering governments and NGOs pushing or implementing them."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal, and email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.