He United Nations Security Council (UN) approved this Friday a resolution that called for increase aid flow to Gaza Stripbut stopped short of demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The United States and Russia abstained from voting on the resolution, while the remaining 13 members voted in favor.
The vote was delayed several times amid efforts to find language that would not trigger a veto by the United States, which overrode previous resolutions for failing to condemn the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, called the final version “a strong, humanitarian-focused resolution.”
USA He had also opposed the text calling for a ceasefirebut refrained from vetoing the draft after the text was watered down to call on all parties to “create the conditions for a sustained cessation of hostilities.”
These editions generated criticism from Russia. “The wording that is put to the vote today has been extremely neutralized,” Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said before the vote.
The resolution also requires that all parties provide the use of all routes to the Gaza Strip for the delivery of aidincluding the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel.
Hostilities between Israel and Hamas have exacerbated deep divisions in the council, which was already largely paralyzed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hamas killed 1,200 people in its attack on October 7, while the attacks of Israel has killed about 20 thousand Palestinians So far, among them at least 8,000 girls and boys, according to Gaza health authorities.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who earlier this month called on the Security Council to act, said after the vote that the “real problem” was lIsrael’s offensive that created “massive obstacles” to the distribution of aid.
“I hope that today’s resolution makes people understand that a humanitarian ceasefire is really necessary if we want humanitarian aid to be delivered effectively,” he said.
Earlier this month, a trip by foreign ministers from several countries to Washington failed to prevent the United States from annulling another text calling for a truce. The new resolution has a more humanitarian approach and Calls on UN to appoint official to oversee increased aid deliveries to Gaza.
“We know that this is not a perfect text,” UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said before the vote. “We have negotiated extensively and tried to find language that meets everyone’s concerns but also addresses this challenge with a practical response.”
Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan said that The approved resolution “maintains Israel’s security authority to monitor and inspect aid entering Loop”but criticized the Security Council for its continued failure to condemn Hamas attacks.
President Joe Biden and his top officials have increasingly pressured Israel to shift its tactics toward a more targeted campaign focused on eliminating Hamas’s leadership. But The United States has also said it will not impose orders on Israel.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel’s campaign must shift from large-scale strikes to more targeted operations to reduce casualties among Palestinian civilians.
