The United States vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages.
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Since the beginning of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the UN Security Council has repeatedly tried to help stop the fighting in the enclave. Draft resolutions, including Russian ones, on a ceasefire in Gaza were vetoed by Westerners led by the United States. Documents approved by the Security Council with an almost similar requirement (to stop hostilities for the month of Ramadan) were considered non-binding in Washington. The Security Council, however, adopted four resolutions, the last of which dealt with US President Joe Biden’s failed plan for a phased ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
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A new draft resolution was prepared by ten non-permanent members of the Security Council. It, in particular, demanded “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, which must be respected by all parties,” and also confirmed its demand for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
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In addition, the document rejected “any attempt to starve the Palestinians” and demanded the immediate provision of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in the enclave necessary for survival. The project also required facilitating the “full, rapid, safe and unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance on the required scale” into Gaza.
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The document, among other things, required the parties to the fighting to “fully, unconditionally and without delay” implement resolution 2735 (with Biden’s plan for a phased ceasefire).
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Separately, the text spelled out the role of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) – the authors of the document called the agency “the backbone of the humanitarian response” in Gaza, and called on the parties to give it the opportunity to “fulfill its mandate.”
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The draft resolution also required the parties to comply with obligations under international law towards detainees and called for “full compliance” with international humanitarian law, especially with regard to the protection of civilians and such objects.
