When one hand silences millions

Unfair veto: The Security Council voting at the UN in New York City on Sept 26. — Reuters

ON Sept 18, the United States raised its hand in the United Nations’ Security Council chamber. With that single gesture, it cast its sixth veto on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine. It was not only a failure of diplomacy, but also the failure of an institution that is meant to be humanity’s shield against war and suffering.

This is not merely politics as usual. It is a structural problem built into the UN’s very foundation. Article 27 of the UN Charter requires that substantive decisions receive the approval of nine of the 15 members of the Council, including all five permanent members. In other words, one dissent from China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom or the United States is enough to cancel the will of the majority. One raised hand in New York can drown out the voices of millions pleading for peace.