Daily Sabah - March 25, 2024
UN Security Council adopts Gaza cease-fire resolution after months of delay
The U.N. Security Council finally passed a resolution on Monday demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza amid Israel's relentless attacks, which destroyed the blockaded enclave and killed over 32,000 Palestinians.
The United States abstained on the resolution, which also demanded the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas' Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. But the measure does not link that demand to the cease-fire during Ramadan, which ends April 9.
The vote comes after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported "an immediate and sustained cease-fire" in the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
The United States warned that the resolution to be voted on Monday morning could hurt negotiations to halt hostilities by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans.
The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, is backed by Russia and China and the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations.
A statement issued Friday night by the Arab Group appealed to all 15 council members "to act with unity and urgency" and vote for the resolution "to halt the bloodshed, preserve human lives and avert further human suffering and destruction."
"It is long past time for a cease-fire," the Arab Group said.
Ramadan began March 10 and ends April 9, which means that if the resolution is approved the cease-fire demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in fighting should lead "to a permanent sustainable cease-fire."
More than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the fighting, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Gaza also faces a dire humanitarian emergency, with a report from an international authority on hunger warning March 18 that "famine is imminent" in northern Gaza and that escalation of the war could push half of the territory's 2.3 million people to the brink of starvation.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council Friday that the resolution's text "fails to support sensitive diplomacy in the region. Worse, it could actually give Hamas an excuse to walk away from the deal on the table."
"We should not move forward with any resolution that jeopardizes the ongoing negotiations," she said, warning that if the diplomacy isn't supported, "we may once again find this council deadlocked."
"I truly hope that that does not come about," Thomas-Greenfield said.
The United States has vetoed three resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, the most recent an Arab-backed measure on Feb. 20. That resolution was supported by 13 council members with one abstention, reflecting the overwhelming support for a cease-fire.
Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in late October calling for pauses in the fighting to deliver aid, the protection of civilians and a halt to arming Hamas. They said it did not reflect global calls for a cease-fire.
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/unsc-adopts-gaza-cease-fire-resolution-after-months-of-delay
Al Jazeera - March 2024
‘Crisis not over’
Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays said the vote is still a “very, very significant” development.
“After almost six months, … the vote, almost unanimous,” has demanded a lasting and immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“The US has used its veto three times,” Bays said. “This time, the US let this pass.”
“Resolutions of the Security Council are international law. They are always seen as binding on all the member states of the United Nations,” he added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a post on X that the resolution “must be implemented”, adding that “failure would be unforgivable”.
The vote came amid international calls to bring the nearly six-month-long conflict to an end as Israeli forces pummel Gaza and humanitarian conditions in the besieged strip reach critical levels.
More than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, and conditions under Israeli siege and bombardment have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine, the UN said.
More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault since October 7, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and seizing about 250 others as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Palestinian leaders welcomed the adoption of the resolution, saying it was a step in the right direction.
“This must be a turning point,” Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the UNSC, holding back tears. “This must signal the end of this assault, of atrocities against our people.”
In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on UNSC member states to fulfill their legal responsibilities to implement the resolution immediately.
Russian Ambassador
Russian Ambassador Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya said his country hopes Monday’s resolution will be used in the “interests of peace” rather than advancing the “inhumane Israeli operation against Palestinians”.
“It is of fundamental importance that the UN Security Council, for the first time, is demanding the parties observe an immediate ceasefire, even if it is limited to the month of Ramadan,” he said. “Unfortunately, what happens after that ends remains unclear.”
Russia tried to push for the use of the word “permanent” in regards to the ceasefire. It had complained that dropping the word could allow Israel “to resume its military operation in the Gaza Strip at any moment” after Ramadan, which ends on April 9.
“We are disappointed that it did not make it through,” Nebenzya said.
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