Passing of UN resolution creates new hope for cease-fire in Gaza
The United Nations Security Council has finally passed a resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza. The resolution put forward by the 10 nonpermanent members of the UNSC demands a pause in the fighting for the rest of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month which will end on April 9, that it says should lead “to a permanent sustainable cease-fire”.
The resolution also demands the immediate, unconditional release of all the Israeli hostages that are being held, and emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. That the UNSC was able to pass a resolution on Gaza after multiple attempts was because the United States did not exercise its veto as it has done in previous votes, and all the other 14 UNSC members voted in favor of the resolution.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that “we couldn’t support it” because the final text does not have key language that the US views as essential, notably a condemnation of Hamas. Nonetheless, its abstention marks a change of position, based on the recognition that Israel’s brutal assault on the Palestinians in Gaza is unconscionable.
It’s evident that Israel is aware that losing the US’ support for its military offensive, following repeated urgings from the international community that it not proceed with its planned ground attack on Rafah, is a potential game-changer. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz criticized the Benjamin Netanyahu government in an editorial for acting “as if Israel weren’t dependent on America to provide it with support, military aid and a diplomatic Iron Dome”.
Netanyahu, however, is sticking to his guns, with his office saying that the wording of the resolution was unacceptable because it didn’t explicitly make a ceasefire conditional on the release of hostages held by Hamas. After the UNSC vote, he canceled the scheduled trip to Washington of a delegation led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is already on an official visit to the US, claimed Israel had “no moral right to stop the war in Gaza”.
The international community, including the US, thinks otherwise. It should be remembered that Resolution 2728 is legally binding and is expected to have its impact on the ongoing fighting in Gaza. Also it carries moral weight, as it conveys the international community’s horror and concern at what Israel is doing in Gaza to atone for the Netanyahu government’s security lapses.
A report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a partnership of more than a dozen governments, UN aid and other agencies that determine the severity of food crises, has warned that “famine is imminent” in Gaza and the humanitarian situation in Rafah where displaced Palestinians are congregated is dire.
Gallant called the resolution “scandalous”, and told US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that he would “make clear the importance of bringing down the Hamas regime and returning the hostages to their homes”. But those Israelis, such as Gallant, calling for more military actions should bear in mind that the several exchanges of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians serving prison terms in Israel were all done via diplomatic efforts.
If the US is unwilling to supply fresh horses, the Israeli war chariots will find the going difficult. But to ensure lasting peace, it is necessary for Palestine and Israel to resume peace talks with the aim of formulating a concrete timetable and road map for the implementation of the two-state solution.
Now though, with Hamas having affirmed its “readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process”, it is imperative that the breakthrough of the UNSC resolution leads to the establishing of a functioning mechanism to expand the flow of humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza.