As Israel's relentless bombing of Gaza enters its second month, several countries accuse Israel of committing serious war crimes and recall its ambassador to Israel.
South African Prime Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters on Monday that "a genocide under the supervision of the international community cannot be tolerated
Türkiye, Chad, Jordan, Bolivia, Chile, Bahrain, Honduras, Colombia and South Africa all recalled their ambassadors to Israel to protest against the massive death and destruction caused by the Israeli bombing.
The Hamas government's Gaza Ministry of Health stated that the bombing killed more than 10000 people, including 4000 children, in Gaza.
Israeli officials say they are trying to reduce civilian casualties, but emphasize their determination to eradicate the Hamas group. They say Hamas has set up important military sites near hospitals and densely populated areas, using civilians as human shields.
Hamas attacked Israel last month, killing 1400 people and kidnapping over 200 hostages.
The United States, as a staunch ally of Israel, immediately provides $14 billion in emergency aid to Israel on an annual basis of $3.3 billion. The United States is also using its veto power to protect Israel in the United Nations Security Council resolution vote.
Last month, 120 member states of the United Nations voted for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, but the United States and 12 other countries voted against it.
Former US Ambassador to Bahrain, William Roebuck, told VOA, "The United States seems to be somewhat isolated at the moment
I think this temporary situation reflects the disagreement over when a ceasefire should be called for and take effect
Israeli and US officials have stated that a ceasefire is beneficial for Hamas, allowing it to prepare for another deadly attack on Israel.
The United States demands a "humanitarian pause" to allow life-saving supplies to arrive in Gaza, but Israel believes that a pause in bombing must accompany the release of all hostages.
Sarah Parkinson, a professor of international studies at Johns Hopkins University, told VOA in an email that "the scale of Israel's military operations in Gaza and the simultaneous increase in strikes against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank may lead to more countries considering diplomatic actions, including public condemnation, postponement of normalization negotiations, or severing diplomatic ties
China
China holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, and diplomats from the United States, Russia, and China have vetoed different resolutions to address the crisis.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday (November 7th), "As the rotating President of the Security Council, China will continue to work with relevant parties to promote responsible actions by the Security Council, play a positive and constructive role in achieving a ceasefire, ending the war, alleviating the humanitarian situation, and ultimately achieving lasting peace between Palestine and Israel through the 'two country plan'
Although most United Nations member states demand a ceasefire, it is difficult for the five permanent members of the Security Council to reach a consensus on this matter.
Stephen Walt, a professor of international affairs at Harvard Kennedy College, told VOA, "The threat of a veto by the United States prevents China from receiving anything critical of Israel from the Security Council, but if the fighting continues, Washington believes that this is undermining its position, and China may receive a ceasefire resolution that is neutral and does not specifically specify Israel
Experts say that in addition, every time Israel is involved in war, the United States protects it at the United Nations and other international institutions, and it seems indifferent to isolation and favoritism.
The overall consideration is that when conflicts often subside after the United States' diplomatic efforts, the isolation of the United States will ease
Criticism
In September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Russia and China for being isolated when making other countries accept their choices.
Antony Blinken said, "They said that what the government did within their borders was just their business, and human rights were the subjective value between different societies." The policy of the United States was to cooperate with other countries to solve global challenges.
Antony Blinken visited the Middle East twice last month and saw American allies such as Jordan and Türkiye criticize the United States for unreservedly supporting Israel.
Walter said, "For some countries, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is strongly condemned, but Israel's occupation of Gaza is not condemned, which appears to be Western hypocrisy
When the veto almost paralyzed the Security Council in the Gaza crisis, hundreds of thousands of people marched in cities around the world, demanding an immediate ceasefire.
Tens of thousands of people participated in a pro Palestinian protest within two miles of the State Department building in Washington on Saturday, demanding the cessation of military aid to Israel.
Despite differences over the ceasefire, countries such as the United States and China have agreed to seek a final solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Antony Blinken wrote on his official account X last week, "We continue to work towards lasting and sustainable peace in the region."