On February 20th, the United States vetoed a ceasefire in Gaza; this is the third time they’ve vetoed a ceasefire. Out of 15 countries, they were the only ones who were against the United Nations Security Council resolution draft, while the UK refused to vote. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, says that a ceasefire would ruin Biden’s negotiation with Washington, Qatar, and Egypt to release hostages for a temporary ceasefire. Amar Bendjama, Alegria’s ambassador, criticized the U.S., saying they approve of the violence happening in Gaza.
The U.S. made another resolution draft saying they should tell Israel to not attack Rafah, a refuge to millions of Palestinians. The UK said calling for a ceasefire would not make it happen, and might even lower the chances of having one; they said they should instead call for an immediate suspension in fighting, get aid to civilians, and get hostages back, which would lead to a ceasefire.
Last month, Israel was facing charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice. South Africa said that Israel has “genocidal intent.” Evidence showed the Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, saying there would be a complete siege and that Gaza would have no food, water, electricity, or fuel, while calling Palestinians “human animals.”
People have been protesting and boycotting. At the University of Michigan, 100 people protested against Joe Biden, encouraging others not to vote for him at the upcoming election because of his support for Israel. Most people have been boycotting McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Disney after giving free meals to Israeli troops, donating money, and for supporting Israel. Starbucks responded to this by saying they are against all violence, while Mcdonald’s say they don’t support either side. An organization called “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions,” or BDS for short, tells people what to boycott. BDS is a Palestinian-led movement that started in 2005; it has had a major impact, even influencing artists to not perform in Israel.
Since October 7th, 2023, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them being women and children. Over two million of them have been displaced and are now in Rafah, sleeping in tents with barely any food, water, or medication. The neighboring countries Jordan and Egypt won’t take them in because Jordan already has a large Palestinian population, and Egypt is worried Israel will order them to stay there because in 1948 a war happened, and 700,000 Palestinians had to flee from what is now Israel. After it ended, they weren’t allowed to go back to their homes. Another war also caused 300,000 Palestinians to go to Jordan. Descendants and refugees are now in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, or Syria, living in camps and communities.
