THE US has done it again. While officially insisting it is committed to a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it rejected a pivotal step in the peace process itself. Its recent veto of the resolution granting full UN membership to Palestine stands in direct opposition to its professed support for a two-state solution. While 12 of the 15 members of the UNSC supported Palestine’s membership, the US stood alone, isolating itself while still claiming to promote peace. Its ambivalent behaviour continues to cast a long shadow over its role as a mediator in the conflict and this action has further undermined its credibility on the world stage. What’s more, leaked cables show that ahead of the vote, the Biden White House reportedly engaged in a covert lobbying effort to influence other countries to either vote against or abstain from voting. That has now come to pass. Washington’s actions are evidence enough that any shred of support for a two-state solution is conditional and heavily skewed in favour of Israel.

The US may be a world power, but it is bereft of moral authority. If it hopes to regain some measure of diplomatic integrity, it should stop turning a blind eye to Israel’s war crimes. It must address the ongoing extermination campaign in Gaza by Israel and its illegal settlement expansions. These actions, which violate international law, require active intervention by the US to halt. It can begin by putting an end to its Janus-faced policy. As long as it verbally tut-tuts Israel’s atrocities while, in the same breath, supplies arms to it, it is complicit. Such behaviour, unfortunate in its shortsightedness, only sabotages peace. It prioritises immediate political interests over a sustainable and just solution for the conflict. As the world watches, the credibility of the US as a champion of global peace and justice stands tarnished. It must at least live up to its own words.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2024