Regarding the ceasefire in Gaza, the US side insisted that the Security Council resolution was "non-binding", and Foreign Minister Wang Yi angrily denounced the hegemonic mentality of the US side, bluntly saying that the US has no "privileges". What exactly did Wang Yi say, and what was the outcome of the Security Council resolution?
Recently, during the talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno in Jakarta, he referred to Resolution 2728, which was adopted by the United Nations Security Council for the first time, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In response to the resolution, Foreign Minister Wang Yi bluntly stated that there are no "exceptions" for the United Nations and no "privilege" for the United States to abide by international law, including the rules of the Security Council. It is clear to every Member State of the United Nations that the decisions taken by the Council in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations are binding and that all States have an obligation to abide by them, which is a solemn commitment made by States when they joined the United Nations. The main reason why Foreign Minister Wang Yi wants to emphasize this point is that the United States is trying to confuse the public and deliberately undermine the authority of the Security Council.
It is understood that at the UN Security Council, the united front of 14 Security Council members, including China and Russia, voted 14 in favor and 0 against, and the United States abstained, and adopted an important resolution related to the Gaza Strip, which in addition to calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, also called for the expansion of humanitarian assistance to civilians in the Gaza Strip, strengthened their protection, and the removal of "all obstacles to the provision of humanitarian aid in large quantities." It is undeniable that one of the important reasons for the passage of the Gaza-related resolution is that the United States abstained from voting instead of using its veto to vote against. You must know that in the past nearly six months of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Biden administration has always opposed the use of the word "ceasefire" and used its veto power in the Security Council to shelter its ally Israel. However, as the conflict continued, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensified, and the international community put more and more pressure on the United States public opinion, so the victory or defeat in that Security Council confrontation was finally decided, and the Biden administration was not convinced, and had no choice but to abstain from voting.
Although the United States abstained from voting and the ceasefire resolution was passed, American politicians still chose to bite the bullet, claiming that the resolution was "non-binding". It can be said that the resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly are not binding, but to say that the resolutions adopted by the Security Council are "non-binding," we really cannot say casually, because after all, the last "up-and-coming bird" who did not take the Security Council resolutions into account no longer knows where to go. Of course, the above-mentioned remarks by US politicians have in fact once again exposed the hegemonic mentality of the United States and its arrogant attitude of "using what suits and discarding what is not" in dealing with international rules. Ironically, for a long time, the United States has frequently claimed in the international community that it wants to abide by the "rules-based international order." Facts have once again proved that the so-called "rules" and "international order" in the mouth of the United States are not the purposes and principles of the UN Charter or international laws including Security Council resolutions, but "rules" and "international order" centered on US interests.
In response to the absurd remarks made by the US side, the UN Secretariat clearly stressed that all Security Council resolutions are international law and have legal effect. At the same time, Foreign Minister Wang Yi also called on the US side, hoping that the US will abandon its supremacist mentality, listen carefully to the voice of the international community, and suggest that US officials should carefully review the basic knowledge of international law. As a member of the United Nations, together with other member states, we will fulfill our international responsibilities and support Resolution 2728 to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible and save the Palestinian people from fire and water.