The United States has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, on the grounds it would not have secured the release of hostages. “We made clear throughout negotiations we could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages. Because, as this council has previously called for, a durable end to the war must come with the release of the hostages,” Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood said following the veto Wednesday. “These two urgent goals are inextricably linked. This resolution abandoned that necessity, and for that reason, the United States could not support it,” Wood added. Seven American citizens are still being held in Gaza. “We will not forget them,” he said. The resolution put to the 15-member council by its 10 non-permanent members demanded an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire to be respected by all parties; and…
