Russia and China veto UN call for Gaza ceasefire
Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution yesterday that called for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza.
The US resolution called for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides” as well as increasing aid to Gaza and the release of “all remaining hostages”. Of the 15 countries participating in the vote in New York, Algeria, China and Russia vetoed the motion, claiming the US was “deliberately misleading the international community”. Eleven countries – the US, France, the UK, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland – voted in favour, with one abstention from Guyana. Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya (inset) said the draft resolution was not a call for a ceasefire but “an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah”. Mr Nebenzya criticised the motion for failing to “even mention Israel’s war crimes” and said it would “result in all of Gaza having to face destruction”.
US ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfield accused Russia and China of being “cynical” and “petty”, claiming at the meeting that they had voted against the motion because it was brought by the US. Attention will now turn to Doha where truce negotiations – mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt – are ongoing between Hamas and Israel.
But talks have been strained as Hamas calls for a permanent ceasefire while Israel insists on the militant group’s “total eradication”. EU leaders in Brussels had called for an “immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire” on Thursday – the strongest statement yet to be issued by all 27 members of the bloc.
The UK voted in favour of the US draft resolution after hardening its stance on Israel’s war on Gaza. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has accused Israel of blocking aid and this week called for a “permanent sustainable ceasefire”. Palestinian analyst Nour Odeh was sceptical about the finer details of the US draft, claiming it failed to hold Israel accountable for its actions.
The former Palestinian Authority spokesperson told i: “The UN resolution is marketed as ceasefire, but the text reads like a way to exonerate Israel of any culpability – which will harm Palestinians in the future. “Future ICJ [International Court of Justice] rulings can adopt this language that ignores basic violations of international law.”