Gaza ceasefire veto prompts US isolation at G20 summit in Brazil
5 Min Read
The US attempts to direct the attention away from Gaza, by saying that Brazil’s goals for the G20 must not be derailed by differences on the Gaza ceasefire.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken participates in a press conference on the sidelines of a G20 ministers meeting, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. (AP)
During the G20 meeting in Brazil, the elephant in the room was the US' constant vetoing of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and the US was the lone wolf among the 20 nations representing the world's largest economies - isolated because of its stance on the matter.
The host's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira launched the two-day meeting by denouncing the “paralysis” at the United Nations Security Council after the US vetoed a resolution put forth by Algeria for an immediate ceasefire.
“This state of inaction results in the loss of innocent lives,” Vieira expressed.
Diplomats, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, raised several geopolitical issues in a closed session not open to the media, but, by mistake, according to The Washington Post, a group of journalists was able to listen in because the headsets continued broadcasting unbeknownst to the Brazilian hosts.
Australia called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and warned of “further devastation” if "Israel" invaded Rafah where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians had sought refuge.
Australia’s representative, Katy Gallagher, said, “We say again to Israel — do not go down this path,” adding: “This would be unjustifiable.”
Meanwhile, South Africa, which is leading a case against "Israel" at the International Court of Justice for committing genocide, argued that world leaders had “allowed impunity to hold sway.”
Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s minister of international relations and cooperation, said, “We have failed the people of Palestine”.
'Let's not get into that': Blinken
This incident is similar to last year's G20 meeting in India where Blinken tried to persuade world leaders to condemn Russia for the war in Ukraine. This time, however, diplomats in Brazil used the same technique to condemn the ongoing US-funded genocide in Gaza by "Israel".
“If, for example, we had been united” behind the “principles set out in the U.N. Charter,” South Africa’s representative explained, “the tragedy in Palestine will not have lasted over three months.”
On Thursday, Blinken clarified to reporters that despite strong disagreements on an immediate ceasefire, he believed the G20 remains largely united when it comes to common goals in the war.
“Everyone supports trying to reach a hostage agreement. Everyone supports having an extended humanitarian ceasefire. … Everyone supports finding a way to end the conflict,” he said, adding, “There may be differences over over tactics … but we’re trying to focus on actually getting results."
Richard Gowan, an expert on multilateral affairs at the International Crisis Group, explained the US situation in the G20 as follows, “A year ago, the U.S. had Russia on the back foot over Ukraine... Now the Biden administration looks like it is losing its grip on events in Ukraine and Gaza, and could lose its grip on the November elections too.”
Unsurprisingly, during its remarks, the US received an appraisal and agreement from Argentina, whose President is starkly pro-"Israel".
Argentina’s representative acknowledged the presence of a “humanitarian disaster" but condemned the “terrorist acts of Hamas” and urged the “unconditional release of hostages.”
The US attempted to direct the attention away from the Gaza matter, by saying that Brazil’s goals for the G20, including coordination on labor practices, climate change, and food security must not be taken off the track by differences over the Gaza ceasefire.
Are diplomatic ties already DOA (dead on arrival)?
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's most recent comments comparing the genocide in Gaza to the Jewish Holocaust sparked further tension with the US, just before Blinken's arrival.
Lula said on Sunday that "Israel" is committing "genocide" against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, likening its crimes to "Adolf Hitler's in Nazi Germany." This was not Lula's first time to draw such comparisons, nor was he the first world leader to do so.
He expressed that what was going on in Palestine had happened in the past when Hitler "decided to kill the Jews."
After Blinken convened with Lula da Silva, Blinken “made clear that we disagree with those comments,” as cited by a senior State Department official, who added, “I would say the two had a frank exchange.”
Read next: Brazil recalls envoy to 'Israel', summons Israeli ambassador
In the meeting, Blinken reiterated that the US did not support an immediate ceasefire, claiming that it would leave the Palestinian Resistance able to "attack" again, said the senior official.
Blinken told Lula of American efforts to broker a deal between the Palestinian Resistance and "Israel" that would ensure the release of Israeli captives in exchange for a humanitarian pause and an increase in humanitarian aid.
