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U.N. Security Council Passes Resolution Demanding Gaza Ceasefire — No U.S. Objection
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday passed a non-binding resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The resolution also called on the terrorists of Hamas to release all of their hostages, some of whom are Americans, immediately and unconditionally.
The UNSC resolution called for a ceasefire that would last until the end of the Muslim holiday month of Ramadan, which ends on April 9, 2024, making the ceasefire a two-week proposition.
The resolution emphasized “the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to, and reinforce the protection of, civilians in the entire Gaza Strip.”
The resolution called for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs.”
Hamas is still holding roughly one hundred living hostages. The exact number is not known with precision because Hamas has repeatedly refused to provide a list of its prisoners. The UNSC resolution did not make the ceasefire contingent on the terrorists giving up their hostages or condemn Hamas for taking hostages in the first place, details that immediately enraged the Israeli government.
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The resolution passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining, rather than using its veto power against the resolution, as Russia and China routinely use their veto powers to protect their allies. Four previous efforts to pass a ceasefire resolution failed.
Russia attempted to modify the resolution to make the ceasefire permanent instead of lasting until the end of Ramadan, but the effort was unsuccessful.
“Those who are providing cover for Israel still want to give it a free hand,” grumbled Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, after the resolution passed with only a temporary ceasefire on its agenda.
UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her government supported the resolution because a humanitarian pause in the fighting was vitally needed, even though she criticized the UNSC for failing to speak out against the atrocities of Hamas.
“We regret that this resolution has not condemned the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October,” she said.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said the new resolution was “unequivocal and correct in its direction” because it demanded an “immediate cease-fire,” unlike the “evasive and ambiguous” draft that the United States supported.
Zhang said China pushed the Biden administration to realize it could no longer oppose the demand of the Security Council for a ceasefire.
“For the lives that have already perished, the Council resolution today comes too late,” he said.
Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said it was a “disgrace” for the UNSC to pass such a resolution without condemning Hamas. He trenchantly noted the Security Council seemed far less concerned about the rape and murder of Israeli civilians by Hamas operatives on October 7, including the young people heartlessly massacred at a music festival.
“Civilians, no matter where they live, deserve to enjoy music in safety and security and the Security Council should have the moral clarity to condemn such acts of terror equally, without discrimination,” he said.
Erdan noted the UNSC has also been silent about the “thousands and thousands of indiscriminate rockets and missiles” Hamas has launched against Israeli civilians, both during the current conflict and for years beforehand. He was, however, glad that the resolution at least mustered the moral clarity to declare that taking hostages is wrong.
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“When it comes to bringing the hostages home, the Security Council must not settle for words alone but take action, real action,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a visit to Washington by a high-level Israeli delegation after the U.S. abstained from the ceasefire resolution vote. White House spokesman John Kirby said Netanyahu’s decision was “disappointing.”
“We’re very disappointed that they won’t be coming to Washington, D.C. to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to them going in on the ground in Rafah,” Kirby said, referring to Israel’s planned offensive against Hamas positions in the Gaza city of Rafah.
“Nothing has changed about our view that a major ground offensive in Rafah would be a major mistake,” Kirby told reporters.
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