For the first time since the Gaza war broke out, the United Nations Security Council has called on the two conflicting parties to an immediate ceasefire. The new resolution calls for an immediate end to hostilities during Ramadan, which will last around two weeks; This should become a “permanent ceasefire”.
Part of the text also includes an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. The UN body once again calls on all parties involved to comply with international law, condemn violence against civilians and recall that taking hostages is prohibited under international law. A majority of members approved the resolution on Monday morning at the UN headquarters in New York. The US abstained after blocking several texts in the past as an ally of Israel since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza.
So far, such a declaration has always failed due to objections from the five veto powers
The text does not explicitly condemn the terrorist attack, unlike a similar US draft that failed last week due to the veto of China and Russia. Immediately afterwards, the ten elected members of the Security Council urged another attempt. The new resolution was described as a historic step in the UN environment. It is the first time that the Security Council has agreed to call for a formal ceasefire in the current Gaza war.
It is also the first time that the ten elected members of the body have been able to overcome the resistance of the five veto powers on this issue. In this case, it was possible to convince the USA of the draft by mentioning the call for a ceasefire at the same time as the demand for the release of the hostages, but without clearly linking the two in terms of content.
The resolution from New York may be good news for the civilian population in Gaza, but it will not bring any immediate improvement to their situation – both Israel and Hamas have ignored numerous Security Council decisions in the past. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that progress was now needed in efforts to reach a ceasefire, which would require the release of hostages still held in Gaza. In return, Israel would be allowed to release imprisoned Palestinians. At the talks in Qatar, Israel and Hamas are negotiating indirectly through the mediation of the USA, Egypt and Qatar.
Security Council members, including China and Russia’s representatives and Palestinian observers, discuss the resolution calling for a ceasefire at UN headquarters on Monday.
(Photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters)
The Security Council resolution is an indication of Israel’s increasing international isolation. Until now, the USA had regularly prevented texts in New York that were not acceptable to Tel Aviv. In the meantime, however, the estrangement between the governments of President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has increased to such an extent that the US mission in New York no longer wanted to hold back the Security Council. Netanyahu reacted angrily and canceled a planned trip to Washington by representatives of his cabinet on Monday afternoon. President Biden requested the visit to reiterate to Israel that the US was extremely concerned about plans to attack the border town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had just warned of an impending Israeli attack on the city of Rafah during a visit to Israel, and Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday described such an operation as a “huge mistake” and threatened unspecified consequences: “I “I’m not ruling anything out,” Harris said.
The UN again accuses Israel of blocking aid deliveries
On Sunday, Netanyahu calmly confirmed that the Israeli army would take Rafah in order to destroy the terrorist group Hamas. However, Israel apparently fears that the USA could cause the supply of weapons or spare parts to dry up. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with several American government officials in Washington on Monday with the aim of “maintaining Israel’s military superiority” and securing supplies.
The UN once again accused Israel of blocking aid deliveries to Gaza. Israel has announced that it will no longer approve food convoys from the Palestinian relief organization UNRWA, it announced at the weekend. This was “outrageous,” UNRWA director Philippe Lazzarini wrote on the X platform at the weekend. Israel rejected the allegations and accused UNRWA of not having submitted any requests for deliveries. UN Secretary-General António Guterres supported the UN aid agency on Monday and called for continued support.