Last month, for the first time, the United States abstained from a vote on a resolution at the United Nations which called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The abstention allowed the resolution to go through, signalling how much the tide has turned against Israel in the last few months.
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Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/us-needs-to-walk-the-talk-on-palestine-1.102039972
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
#UAEnews #US #Gaza
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NewsTranscript
00:00For the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began last October, the US recently abstained
00:10from a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. That allowed the resolution
00:15to go through. Until now, the US had used its veto power and rejected one resolution
00:21after another at the United Nations, which had called for a ceasefire. Now, this is important
00:26because it does indicate a shift in the US position, which until now has been staunchly
00:31in support of Israel. But as casualties mount in Gaza, as the humanitarian crisis unfolds,
00:38it's becoming harder and harder for Israel's closest allies like the US to continue to
00:44defend its position. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza now in the last few
00:50months. There are people now on the verge of starvation and famine. This is a warning
00:55that has come from UN agencies. And therefore, in the midst of this, what moral position the
01:01US takes and practical position the US takes is very important. So by abstaining at the UN,
01:07has the needle moved far enough? Frankly, no, because at the end of the day, the US still
01:14continues to supply arms and still continues to be a close ally of Israel. Yes, Mr. Netanyahu
01:20is irritated that the US abstained at the UN in this particular resolution, but ties are still
01:25quite strong. And we can see that it's also having a bearing on domestic politics in the US because
01:31President Biden is on the back foot in many crucial battleground states like Michigan,
01:36for example, which have a huge Arab American population. There are more than 100,000 people
01:42in the Democratic primary, for instance, Democratic voters who voted uncommitted because they're so
01:48angry with the Biden administration and its position on Israel. And if it's going to be a
01:53close election with Donald Trump, then these votes are going to matter. So the needle, frankly,
01:58has not moved far enough as far as the US is concerned. And that's all the more clear when
02:04the US Congress at the moment is being pressed by the Biden administration to approve billions
02:12of dollars of fighter jets sales to Israel, even as we speak. Ultimately, that is where the US
02:20commitment towards the people of Gaza is going to be tested because UN abstentions, mere words
02:27and slogans aren't really going to matter. It's what they practically do, particularly with arms
02:32sales to Israel. And those are not stopping at the moment.