By EDITH M. LEDERER (Associated Press)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians.
The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor and three against, including Algeria, the Arab representative on the council. There was one abstention, from Guyana.
Before the vote, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow supports an immediate cease-fire, but he criticized diluted language that referred to moral imperatives, which he called philosophical wording that does not belong in a U.N. resolution.
He accused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of “deliberately misleading the international community.”
“This was some kind of an empty rhetorical exercise,” Nebenzia said. “The American product is exceedingly politicized, the sole purpose of which is to help to play to the voters, to throw them a bone in the form of some kind of a mention of a cease-fire in Gaza … and to ensure the impunity of Israel, whose crimes in the draft are not even assessed.”
Thomas-Greenfield urged the council to adopt the resolution to press for an immediate cease-fire and the release of the hostages, as well as to address Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and support ongoing diplomacy by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
After the vote, Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia and China of voting for “deeply cynical reasons,” saying they could not bring themselves to condemn Hamas’ terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, which the resolution would have done for the first time. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
A key issue in the vote was the unusual language related to a cease-fire. It said the Security Council “determines the imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire,” — not a straight-forward “demand” or “call.”
The resolution did reflect a shift by the United States, which has found itself at odds with much of the world as even close allies push for an unconditional end to fighting.
In previous resolutions, the U.S. has closely intertwined calls for a cease-fire with demands for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. This resolution, through awkward wording that’s open to interpretation, continued to link the two issues, but not as firmly.
While the resolution would have been officially binding under international law, it would not have ended the fighting or led to the release of hostages. But it would have added to the pressure on Israel as its closest ally falls more in line with global demands for a cease-fire at a time of rising tensions between the U.S. and Israeli governments.
Meanwhile, the 10 elected members of the Security Council have put their own resolution in a final form to be voted on. It demands an immediate humanitarian cease-fire for the Holy month of Ramadan observed by Muslims Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, told reporters that the vote for a permanent cease-fire should be respected by all involved parties, and it will happen either late Friday or Saturday morning.
The resolution also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. The immediate and unconditional release of all hostages is also emphasized in the resolution. It stresses the urgent need to protect civilians and provide humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip.
Nebenzia urged council members to support it, but Thomas-Greenfield said that the current form of the text does not support delicate diplomacy in the area. She believes it may even give Hamas a reason to walk away from the deal on the table.
The The Security Council had previously approved two resolutions about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, but none had called for a cease-fire.
In late October, Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution calling for pauses in the fighting to provide aid, protect civilians, and stop arming Hamas. They argued it did not reflect the global calls for a cease-fire.
The U.S. has vetoed three resolutions demanding a cease-fire, the most recent being an Arab-backed measure supported by 13 council members with one abstention on Feb. 20. A rival resolution circulated by the U.S. a day earlier went through substantial changes during negotiations before the vote on Friday. Initially, it would have supported a temporary cease-fire linked to the release of all hostages, and the previous draft would have supported international efforts for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal. A resolution backed by Arab nations and supported by 13 council members with one abstention on Feb. 20.
The U.S. circulated a rival resolution a day earlier, which underwent significant changes during negotiations before Friday’s vote. Originally, it would have supported a temporary cease-fire connected to the release of all hostages, and the previous draft would have supported international efforts for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal.
The voting took place as Blinken, America’s top diplomat, is on his sixth urgent mission to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war, discussing a deal for a cease-fire and hostage release, as well as post-war scenarios. Palestinian attackers killed approximately 1,200 people in the unexpected Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel that triggered the war, and kidnapped another 250 people. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 100 people captive, as well as the remains of 30 others. In Gaza, the Health Ministry increased the death toll in the region Thursday to nearly 32,000 Palestinians. The agency does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says that women and children make up two-thirds of the deceased.
The global authority on determining the severity of hunger crises cautioned this week that famine is looming in northern Gaza, where 70% of people are facing catastrophic hunger. The report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, or IPC, warned that escalation of the war could push half of Gaza’s total population to the brink of starvation.
The U.S. draft expressed deep concern about the threat of conflict-induced famine and epidemics presently facing the civilian population in Gaza, as well as the number of undernourished people. It also mentioned that hunger in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels. It emphasized the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in the entire Gaza Strip and remove all barriers to providing aid to civilians on a large scale. Israel is under increasing pressure to make the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip easier, open more land crossings, and agree to a cease-fire. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to continue the military operation in the southern city of Rafah
, where about 1.3 million displaced Palestinians are taking shelter. Netanyahu claims it’s a stronghold of Hamas. The final U.S. draft removed language from the original draft that stated Israel’s operation in Rafah “should not proceed under current circumstances.” Instead, the council expressed its concern in an opening paragraph that a ground operation in Rafah “would lead to more harm to civilians and their further displacement, possibly into neighboring countries, and would have serious implications for regional peace and security.”Russia and China have rejected a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution that called for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
The U.S. draft expressed “deep concern about the threat of conflict-induced famine and epidemics presently facing the civilian population in Gaza as well as the number of undernourished people, and also that hunger in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels.”
It emphasized “the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians in the entire Gaza Strip” and lift all barriers to getting aid to civilians “at scale.”
Israel faces mounting pressure to streamline the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, to open more land crossings and to come to a cease-fire agreement. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to move the military offensive to the southern city of Rafah, where some 1.3 million displaced Palestinians have sought safety. Netanyahu says it’s a Hamas stronghold.
The final U.S. draft eliminated language in the initial draft that said Israel’s offensive in Rafah “should not proceed under current circumstances.” Instead, in an introductory paragraph, the council emphasized its concern that a ground offensive into Rafah “would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement, potentially into neighboring countries, and would have serious implications for regional peace and security.”
