The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution on Monday calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan, the “immediate and unconditional” release of all hostages, and “ensuring access of humanitarian aid” into Gaza. The resolution passed with 14 votes in favor to none against, with one abstention: the United States.
After 14 council members voted for the resolution, there was a burst of applause in the council chamber.
Algerian Ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama, who is currently the Arab bloc’s Security Council member and a sponsor of the resolution said, “Finally, the Security Council is shouldering its responsibility.”
The US, which had previously vetoed Security Council resolutions putting pressure on Israel, has grown increasingly frustrated with its ally as civilian fatalities have soared disproportionately and the UN has warned of looming famine in Gaza.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that while the US “fully supports some of the critical objectives” of the Resolution, the reason for the abstention was that, “We did not agree with everything in [it].”
“Certain key edits were ignored, including our request to add a condemnation of Hamas,” she said. She also blamed Hamas for the delay in reaching a cease-fire and “standing in the way of peace” by refusing to release all the hostages.
The White House stated that the final resolution lacked language condemning Hamas that the United States believes is critical, and that its abstention did not indicate a shift in policy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, however, asserted that the US’s refusal to veto the resolution is a “clear retreat” from its earlier position and will jeopardize combat operations against Hamas as well as attempts to free Israeli hostages in Gaza.
His administration also stated that, in light of the US’s “new posture,” Netanyahu will not send a high-level delegation to Washington, DC, that had been previously scheduled.
US President Joe Biden had sought a meeting with Israeli officials to dissuade Israel from a ground assault of Rafah in southern Gaza, where over one million displaced Palestinians are taking refuge from the constant Israeli attacks.
Netanyahu pledged last week that Israel would reject all US pleading and escalate its military operations to Rafah even if it did not have the support of its allies.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged UNSC member nations to fulfill their legal obligations and implement the decision quickly. It also emphasized the significance of stepping up efforts to create a truce that lasts beyond Ramadan, guarantee the entry of humanitarian supplies, work on the release of Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails, and avoid even more forced displacement of Palestinians.
In a statement, Hamas hailed the vote and stated that “it is ready to engage in immediate prisoner swaps on both sides.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted that the resolution “must be implemented” and that “failure would be unforgivable.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya said, “It is of fundamental importance that the UN Security Council, for the first time, is demanding that the parties observe an immediate ceasefire, even if it is limited to the month of Ramadan.”
Nebenzya called for the word “permanent” to be placed before “ceasefire” in the Resolution. He said that deleting the word would allow Israel “to resume its military operations in the Gaza Strip at any moment” after Ramadan, which ends in Gaza on April 9.
The Resolution comes amid worldwide appeals to stop the almost six-month-long war on Gaza, with a relentless Israeli military assault on the territory by air and on land and increasingly dire humanitarian circumstances.
More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has now been displaced, and the UN says the Israeli siege and shelling have driven Gaza to the verge of starvation.
According to Palestinian health officials, more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault since October 7, about 70% of those women and children.