(Full) Security Council: US-proposed Draft for Sustained Ceasefire in Gaza Vetoed | United Nations

The US-led draft, which took weeks to reach a vote, stated the "imperative" for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides”, facilitating “essential” aid delivery and supporting ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas militants to create a sustainable end to the hostilities, tied to the release of hostages.

Here are the highlights of all this morning's intense diplomatic action.

HIGHLIGHTS
A US-proposed draft to end the war in Gaza was vetoed by permanent Council members China and Russia, in a vote of 11 favour to three against (Algeria, China, Russia) and one abstention (Guyana)
Several ambassadors voiced their support for a new draft proposed by the “E-10” group of 10 non-permanent Council members, which calls for an immediate ceasefire
The vetoed draft would have made imperative an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, with an “urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance” to all civilians and lifting “all barriers” to delivering aid
Council members disagreed over elements of the draft, and some highlighted glaring exclusions despite having raised multiple concerns with the US during negotiations
Ambassadors largely supported swift action to bring food and lifesaving aid at scale into Gaza, where a UN-backed report on Monday raised alarms about famine as Israel continues to block and slow walk shipments into the besieged enclave
Some Council members called for pursuing the two-State solution to the ongoing conflict
Israel’s ambassador was invited to speak, calling the draft’s failure to pass and condemn Hamas “a stain that will never be forgotten”
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Speaking after the vote, United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said “Russia and China still could not bring itself to condemn Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7th. Can we just pause on that for a moment? Russia and China refuse to condemn Hamas for burning people alive, for gunning down innocent civilians at a concert, for raping women and girls, for taking hundreds of people hostage. This was the deadliest single attack on Jews since the Holocaust.”

She also said, “If an alternative resolution comes up for a vote and does not support the diplomacy happening on the ground, we may once again find this Council deadlocked. I truly hope that that does not come about.”

For her part, Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated, “Through this resolution the Security Council would have rightly and for the first time, unequivocally condemned Hamas terrorist attacks. We're disappointed that the council was not able to send this important message.”

Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama said, “Alarmingly, this text avoided mentioning the responsibility of the Israeli occupying power. these individuals were not lost through acts of self-harm, they killed. Their perpetrators must be held accountable.”

Chinese Ambassador, Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, explained, “An immediate ceasefire is a fundamental prerequisite for saving lives, expanding humanitarian access and preventing greater conflicts. The US draft, on the contrary, set up preconditions for a ceasefire, which is no different from giving a green light to continued killings. Which is unacceptable.”

Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, said to the council members that voted in favor of today’s draft resolution, “They told you that you should not be worried because the Russian Federation would veto this in any way, but you would not go against the US text. That is it. That's the whole scenario. So don't try to hypocritically tell us that you are now disappointed that Russia and China vetoed the resolution. Once again, today you have covered yourselves with disgrace voting for text which yourselves do not support and did support.”

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said, “The American resolution should it have passed would have marked a moment of morality for the UN, a place where good is evil and justice is injustice. It would have been the very first time that this council or any UN body condemned Hamas and their brutal massacre. Yet sadly, for purely political reasons, this resolution did not pass, and terrorists can continue benefiting from this council whitewashing their crime.”

Press Release: https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15637.doc.htm

00:00:00 - Opening of Meeting
00:15:13 - Vote on Resolution

Screenshot Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider