Israel rejected a resolution proposal presented by the United States to the Security Council on Thursday regarding the suggested prisoner exchange and cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, which was revealed by US President Joe Biden days ago.
The United States submitted the aforementioned resolution project last Monday, before American media outlets reported that Washington handed a modified version of it to the Security Council on Thursday.
According to the official Hebrew broadcasting authority through its website, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, informed his American counterpart, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, of Israel’s opposition to the proposed resolution project.
The latest version of the draft resolution, as stated by the broadcasting authority, shows a change in the American position towards Israel.
The authority explained that the final text of the draft calls on Hamas and Israel to implement the proposal without delay and without conditions, whereas a previous draft of the proposal only called on Hamas to accept the proposal.
As stated in the latest version of the project, the United States opposes any attempt to change the demographic or current situation in Gaza, according to the broadcasting authority.
On May 31st, Biden spoke during a speech at the White House about presenting a three-stage proposal by Israel, including prisoner exchange in the first two stages, sustaining the ceasefire in the second stage, and rebuilding Gaza in the third stage.
Contrary to Biden’s speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “I did not agree to end the war in the second stage of the proposal,” but only “discuss” that step according to “Tel Aviv” conditions, stressing that he insists on not ending the war on Gaza until all its objectives are achieved.
Meanwhile, Hamas stated that it would deal with the proposal positively, despite its confirmation that it is not new as promoted by Biden, but rather an Israeli objection to the proposal of the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, which Hamas received on May 5th and announced its approval on May 6th, while Israel rejected it, claiming it does not meet its conditions.
However, Hamas affirmed that it will not enter into any agreement with Israel regarding the prisoner exchange unless there is a clear readiness to cease fire permanently and a comprehensive withdrawal from Gaza.
Through the mediation of Egypt and Qatar and the participation of the United States, Israel and Hamas have been conducting indirect and stalled negotiations for months, while the Israeli war on Gaza has continued since October 7, 2023.
The Israeli war on Gaza has left about 120,000 Palestinians dead or injured, most of them children and women, and nearly 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine claiming the lives of dozens.
The occupation continues this war, ignoring a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and orders from the International Court to stop its attack on Rafah and take immediate measures to prevent genocide acts and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
