WASHINGTON – Top Middle East diplomats issued an unsubtle warning on Friday that the Biden administration risks squandering its credibility and enabling further destabilization in the region if it does not join their push for an immediate ceasefire amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
Despite their appeals, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution introduced by the United Arab Emirates with the backing of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. If passed, the resolution would have called for an immediate end to the fighting.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the diplomats in Washington on Friday.
Israel's war against Palestinian militants in Gaza has so far killed more than 17,000 people and forced the majority of population of the Gaza Strip to flee their homes.