Gaza cease-fire resolution backed by US fails in UN Security Council
A U.S.-sponsored resolution endorsing an "immediate and sustained cease-fire" in the Israel-Hamas war failed in the United Nations Security Council as Russia and China vetoed the measure, saying its language was vague and would not stop Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza.
The resolution called for a cease-fire "as part of a deal" that would secure the release of all hostages and get more humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave, where famine is looming, said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Before the vote, she said it would be a "historic mistake" for the council to reject the resolution.
Eleven members of the 15-person council voted in favor of the measure; three, including Algeria, voted against it and Guyana abstained. Russia and China are permanent members of the Security Council, which gives them and three other countries veto power.
Russia's ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, called the resolution a "pointless" and "empty rhetorical exercise," saying it did not "demand" or "compel" a cease-fire. He also said the resolution did not adequately address Israel's conduct in the war and effectively gives its military a go-ahead to invade Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, where more than 1 million people have taken shelter.
"To save the lives of peaceful Palestinians, this is not enough," he said. "This would free the hands of Israel and it would result in all of Gaza and its entire population having to face destruction, devastation or expulsion."
Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution went through several drafts and was the subject of "exhaustive negotiations" with members of the Security Council. She added that, more than just calling for a cease-fire, it would help make a cease-fire possible, pointing to negotiations involving Qatar, Egypt and the U.S.
Eight nonpermanent members of the Security Council drafted an alternative resolution that demands a cease-fire and the unconditional release of hostages, Nebenzia said. Thomas-Greenfield criticized the alternative resolution, saying it undermines "sensitive diplomacy in the region" and could lead Hamas to "walk away from the deal on the table." She further said the Security Council should not adopt any resolution "that jeopardizes the ongoing negotiations."
The U.S. has historically vetoed Security Council resolutions aimed against Israel and has blocked multiple measures that demanded a cease-fire since the war began. Friday's resolution represented the toughest position the U.S. has taken on the war as a rift between the Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deepens.
In addition to the cease-fire, the measure called on Israel to "eliminate all barriers and restrictions on humanitarian aid" in Gaza; said the Palestinian Authority should govern the territory after the war; and reiterated calls for a two-state solution. Netanyahu has said Israel will not bow to pressure from the international community to accept a Palestinian state and has repeatedly opposed the Palestinian Authority having any governing role in postwar Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday met with Netanyahu and the Israeli War Cabinet to talk through gaps between Israeli leaders and the Biden administration, humanitarian aid for Gaza and the invasion of Rafah. After their discussions, Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on X that Israel will launch its planned operation with or without U.S. support.
"We have no way to defeat Hamas without entering Rafah and eliminating the remnant of the battalions there," he said. "I told him that I hope we would do this with U.S. support but if necessary – we will do it alone."
Negotiations for a cease-fire continued Friday in Qatar among mediators as well as CIA Director William Burns and David Barnea, head of Israel's Mossad spy agency. Speaking about the negotiations before Friday's vote, Thomas-Greenfield said "we believe we're close – we're not there yet, unfortunately."
The main barrier to a peace deal has been Israel's vow to continue the war after a pause in fighting and Hamas' demand for a permanent cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Nearly 32,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the war, and thousands more are feared buried under rubble, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. The invasion of border communities in southern Israel by Hamas and other militants on Oct. 7 killed about 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians, and 253 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Contributing: Reuters; John Bacon and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gaza cease-fire resolution backed by US fails in UN Security Council