The UN Security Council on Tuesday once again postponed the vote on a draft resolution that, in its latest version, calls for a ‘suspension’ of hostilities in Gaza and allowing humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinian enclave.
The Council was scheduled to vote on the draft resolution on Monday, but this vote was postponed to Tuesday morning, then to the evening, and then to Wednesday, according to diplomatic sources. This delay was to allow for continued negotiations and avoid a new deadlock, after a U.S. veto ten days ago.
On December 8, despite unprecedented intense pressure exerted by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the United States prevented the adoption of a resolution calling for an ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’ in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army continues its destructive bombing in response to a Hamas attack on October 7.
Last week, the General Assembly adopted the same resolution with a majority of 153 votes against 10 opposing and 23 abstentions, out of 193 member states. However, its resolutions are not binding.
After this overwhelming support, the United Arab Emirates presented a new draft resolution to the Security Council, but its outcome is uncertain due to the ongoing strenuous negotiations.
While the first version called for an ‘urgent and permanent cessation of hostilities to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip,’ the new draft seen by Agence France-Presse on Tuesday calls for an ‘urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and for urgent measures to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities.’
While Israel and its ally the United States oppose the idea of a ‘ceasefire,’ defining a potential end to the war, such as ‘suspension,’ ‘truce,’ or ‘humanitarian ceasefire,’ is at the heart of the Council’s divisions for over two months.
The UAE Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh said on Tuesday, ‘The negotiations are complex, but we hope to see the Council speak with one voice today.’ U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, ‘We support a resolution that fully backs the response to the humanitarian needs of the people in Gaza, but (…) the details are most important.’
The UN envoy for the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, warned that delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza ‘still faces almost insurmountable challenges,’ despite Israel allowing the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing and the entry of more fuel and food. He considered the measures ‘limited,’ ‘positive but not sufficient’ for the needs.
The new text also demands that the parties to the conflict facilitate the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip ‘by land, sea, and air,’ and calls on the Secretary-General to establish a system for monitoring humanitarian aid.
In a letter sent on Monday to the Council’s president, which Agence France-Presse saw, António Guterres proposes three options for monitoring compliance with the ceasefire/humanitarian truce and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, including deploying unarmed UN military observers.
Like previous texts criticized by Israel and the United States, the new draft of the resolution does not mention Hamas. Instead, it condemns ‘all indiscriminate attacks against civilians’ and ‘all acts of terrorism,’ and calls for the release of hostages.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Council has faced severe criticism for failing to adopt a resolution calling for a ‘humanitarian calm’ in mid-November. Five other draft resolutions failed, two due to the United States’ use of its veto power.
President Joe Biden recently said that Israel risks losing international support due to its indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip. Although binding, Security Council resolutions are regularly ignored by the concerned states. Israel insists it will not accept a ceasefire.
After the October 7 attack, which, according to Israeli authorities, left about 1,140 dead, mostly civilians, Israel pledged to ‘eliminate’ Hamas. Since then, it has been carrying out a destructive bombing campaign on the besieged Gaza Strip, followed by a large-scale ground operation.
The Hamas-led Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have left 19,667 dead since the beginning of the war, most of them women, children, and teenagers.
