The United Nations Security Council on Friday turned down a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an Israel-Hamas hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States.
\nThe resolution, on which Algeria also voted no and Guyana abstained, called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
\nEleven of the 15 council members voted for the resolution, but the Russia and China vetoes stopped its passage.
\nThe council will meet at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday to vote on an alternative resolution drafted by elected members of the Security Council, a diplomat said. The vote was planned for Saturday but was postponed because discussions were ongoing, the diplomat added.
\nThat resolution, a draft copy of which was seen by Reuters, demands an immediate ceasefire for the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the release of all hostages and an expanded flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
\nThe draft does not include provisions supporting ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire \u2013 an element of the U.S. resolution. Washington has been working with Qatar and Egypt to try to broker a deal.
\nU.S. HAD TOUGHENED ITS STANCE
\nFriday was the first time Washington had backed a text that came up for a vote with the word \u201cceasefire\u201d in it during the war in Gaza, reflecting a toughening of the Biden administration\u2019s stance toward Israel.
\nEarlier in the five-month-old war, the U.S. was averse to the word ceasefire and vetoed measures that included calls for an immediate ceasefire.
\n\u201cThe vast majority of this council voted in favor of this resolution, but unfortunately Russia and China decided to exercise its veto,\u201d U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council.
\nShe accused Russia and China of vetoing the resolution for \u201ccynical\u201d and \u201cpetty\u201d reasons. She said they opposed it simply because it was penned by the U.S. and criticized both countries for not condemning Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
\n\u201cFor all the fiery rhetoric, we all know that Russia and China are not doing anything diplomatically to advance a lasting peace or to meaningfully contribute to the humanitarian response effort,\u201d she told the council after the vote.
\nThe U.S. has wanted any Security Council support for a ceasefire to be linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and took 253 captive in their Oct. 7 attack, Israel has said.
\nNearly 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel\u2019s subsequent offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave.
\nRUSSIA, CHINA OBJECTED TO U.S. RESOLUTION
\nRussia\u2019s ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, said the U.S.-led resolution was \u201cexceedingly politicized\u201d and contained an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah, a city on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip where more than half of the enclave\u2019s 2.3 million residents have been sheltering in makeshift tents.
\n\u201cThis would free the hands of Israel and it would result in all of Gaza and its entire population having to face destruction, devastation, or expulsion,\u201d Nebenzia told the meeting.
\nHe said a number of non-permanent members of the Security Council had drafted an alternative resolution and said there was no reason for members not to support it.
\nChina\u2019s U.N. ambassador, Zhang Jun, criticized the text proposed by the U.S. for not clearly stating its opposition to a planned military operation by Israel in Rafah, which he said could lead to severe consequences. He said Beijing also supported the alternative.
\nBut Thomas-Greenfield said that measure fell short.
\n\u201cIn its current form, that text fails to support sensitive diplomacy in the region. Worse \u2026 it could actually give Hamas an excuse to walk away from the deal on the table,\u201d she said.
\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that his country would work with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to persuade Russia and China to back yet another alternative resolution at the United Nations for a ceasefire in Gaza.
\n(Reuters)ceasefire. ceasefire, United Nations Security Council, Gaza<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
– The United Nations Security Council rejected a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an Israel-Hamas hostage deal due to vetoes from Russia and China.
\n– The resolution, proposed by the United States, aimed for a six-week ceasefire to protect civilians and allow humanitarian assistance.
\n– Eleven of the 15 council members supported the resolution, but it was blocked by the vetoes.
\n– An alternative resolution, drafted by elected members of the Security Council, calls for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan, the release of all hostages, and expanded humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
\n– The U.S. had previously been averse to using the word “ceasefire” in resolutions during the war in Gaza but had toughened its stance.
\n– Russia and China vetoed the U.S.-led resolution, which the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. criticized as being for “cynical” and “petty” reasons.
\n– Palestinian Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and took 253 captive in an attack on Israel, according to Israel.
\n– Nearly 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, as reported by health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave.
\n– Russia criticized the U.S.-led resolution as “exceedingly politicized” and a potential green light for an Israeli military operation in Rafah.
\n– China supported an alternative resolution and criticized the U.S. proposal for not opposing an Israeli military operation in Rafah.
\n– French President Emmanuel Macron announced efforts to work with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to persuade Russia and China to back another alternative resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1521,383,492,1423,486,3194,2267,398,2259,3075,145,895,196,298,210,2180,1025,1235,2575,299,1350,422,1346,462,864,1908,837,1354,1538,19,827,1358,414,3199,1759,3200,544,380,1774,293,18],"class_list":["post-5304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","tag-1521","tag-attack","tag-biden","tag-ceasefire","tag-china","tag-destruction","tag-devastation","tag-diplomacy","tag-egypt","tag-emirates","tag-gaza","tag-gaza-strip","tag-guyana","tag-hamas","tag-health","tag-hostage-deal","tag-hostages","tag-humanitarian","tag-humanitarian-assistance","tag-israel","tag-israeli-military","tag-macron","tag-meeting","tag-palestinians","tag-population","tag-postponed","tag-rafah","tag-release","tag-resolution","tag-russia","tag-security","tag-support","tag-un","tag-un-security-council","tag-united-nations","tag-united-nations-security-council","tag-united-states","tag-us","tag-vote","tag-war","tag-world"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n