US’ veto of UN ceasefire resolution: Letters to the Editor — Dec. 12, 2023

The Issue: The United States’ veto of a United Nations resolution for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for the Israel Defense Forces to participate in a cease-fire removes responsibility for the war from Hamas (“Violence rages through Gaza after US blocks latest push for cease-fire,” Dec. 10).

Hamas could also stop the war by raising the white flag and suing for peace.

Until Hamas agrees to allow Israel to live in peace, however, I believe the IDF is completely justified in eliminating all Hamas soldiers.

Tom Cook

Jacksonville, Fla.

Our country should have voted for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

After barely a week of cease-fire that saw hostages released and desperately needed humanitarian aid flow into Gaza, war and violence have returned unabated.

Rockets and bombs once again fill the air. Aid will no doubt slow to a trickle, and hostages will remain exactly where they are.

It need not be this way. There was positive momentum building toward a permanent cease-fire, something everyone must agree is urgently needed.

The cease-fire negotiations, aid deliveries and release of hostages show the power of dialogue. Weapons did not bring them about — far from it.

If Israel and the Palestinians want real, lasting peace, they need to talk to one another. Not shoot at each other.

More war is not the answer. In truth, there is no military solution to this crisis.

Diane Casnerhut

Hillsborough, NJ

It never ceases to amaze me that there could be a call for restraint on the part of Israel through the UN cease-fire resolution, and yet no calls for restraint on the part of Hamas.

I recently listened to the UN’s Guterres offer a brilliant analysis of the Israel-Hamas war — appropriately describing the attack as a terrorist act with no qualifications. Yet in his next sentence, he immediately called for restraint on the part of Israel.

It is obvious Hamas has had no moral restraint, even maintaining its commitment to eliminating Jews and committing several atrocities against Israel. Yet no one sees any need to demand restraint from Hamas.

Elizabeth Hinesley

Delray Beach, Fla.

In a demonstration of apathy and disregard, the United States was the sole member of the UN Security Council to veto a cease-fire resolution. The vote could have provided a reprieve to the beleaguered, starving and afflicted citizens of Gaza.

Furthermore, as a Democrat, I assert that Americans of conscience must protest with every ounce of our being to the Biden administration for recently approving $100 million in munitions and arms to Israel, contributing to the continued destruction of homes and the lives of the civilian population of Gaza. This is on top of a $14 billion aid package to Israel under consideration in Congress.

The Biden administration’s tepid, apathetic response toward Israel’s daily bombardments over a 25-mile strip of land housing 2.3 million civilians is also outrageous, considering the starvation, slaughtering, deprivation and despair the population has experienced to date, growing more dire by the hour.

Gaza’s hospitals and refugee camps are in tatters, and some of the displaced are forced to encamp in tiny slivers of land without provisions of any kind.

Sid Sussman

Hallandale, Fla.

A permanent cease-fire fire now would allow Hamas to regain its strength, leading to future attacks on Israelis.

Regardless of a cease-fire, Palestinians would continue to suffer under Hamas control. Humanitarian aid, on the other hand, could be diverted to efforts to destroy Israel.

Peace necessitates Hamas being eliminated and Israel resuming security control in Gaza for the foreseeable future.

Toby Block

Atlanta, Ga.

A permanent cease-fire should have happened by now, as the United States has already been complacent while human life is lost and people face unfathomable horror.

War is not the answer. Civilians are not the aggressors.

Laura Hurst

Brooklyn

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