(United Nations) Ten days after an American veto, the UN Security Council must decide on Monday on a new text calling for an “urgent and lasting cessation of hostilities” in Gaza, at a time when Washington is showing signs of impatience with its Israeli ally.
On December 9, despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the United States blocked in the Council the adoption of a resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip. where the Israeli army continues its deadly strikes in retaliation for the unprecedented bloody Hamas attack of October 7.
Last week, the General Assembly adopted this same resolution by 153 votes in favor, 10 against and 23 abstentions, out of 193 member states.
With this overwhelming support, the Arab countries announced a new attempt at the Security Council, the outcome still uncertain.
The new draft text prepared by the United Arab Emirates, seen by AFP, “calls for an urgent and lasting cessation of hostilities to allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.”
In particular, it demands that the parties to the conflict facilitate the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip, “by land, sea and air”.
The draft also affirms its support for the two-state solution and “highlights the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority.”
Like the previous one and the one adopted by the General Assembly, this text does not name Hamas, an absence systematically castigated by the United States and Israel. On the other hand, he condemns “all indiscriminate attacks against civilians”, “all acts of terrorism”, and calls for the release of the hostages.
” Put pressure ”
Since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the Council has been under fire from criticism, having only managed to adopt a text calling for “humanitarian pauses” in mid-November. Five other draft resolutions were rejected, including two due to US vetoes.
According to diplomatic sources, negotiations continued on Sunday to avoid a new impasse, while President Joe Biden estimated a few days ago that Israel risked losing the support of the international community due to its “indiscriminate” bombings on the Gaza Strip.
“The United States should back up these words by acting at the Security Council to put pressure on Israel and Palestinian armed groups to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians,” commented Louis Charbonneau of Human Rights Watch, calling on Americans “not to use the veto to block resolutions aimed at ending mass atrocities.”
Security Council resolutions are binding, but regularly ignored by the countries concerned.
After the October 7 attack which, according to Israeli authorities, left around 1,140 dead, mostly civilians, Israel vowed to “annihilate” Hamas, shelling Palestinian territory, besieging it and carrying out a vast ground operation. since October 27.
The Hamas Health Ministry reported Friday that 18,800 people had died in Israeli bombings, mostly women, children and adolescents.
“Faced with such atrocities, there is only one moral position, only one defensible position: a ceasefire now,” Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour pleaded on Friday from the podium of the general Assembly.
“Calling for a ceasefire now, while (the hostages) are still detained, is the most immoral thing,” replied his Israeli counterpart Gilad Erdan.