United Nations/Jerusalem, June 10 (EFE).- The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved a resolution submitted by the United States in support of a ceasefire proposal presented by US President Joe Biden.
The resolution, approved by 14 votes in favor with Russia as the sole abstention, is the fourth one adopted by the Security Council on the war in Gaza, with the previous three remaining ineffective due to Israel’s refusal to stop the offensive in the Palestinian territory.
“This Council sent a clear message to Hamas: Accept the ceasefire deal on the table. Israel has already agreed to this deal. And the fighting could stop today if Hamas would do the same,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in her explanation of vote.
Israel has so far remained ambiguous about the terms of the plan, which includes a three-phase plan to end the war in Gaza and calls for an “immediate ceasefire with the release of hostages” held by Hamas.
The US resolution was passed to the other council member a week ago and while it initially contained demands directed only at Hamas, the final version “urges both parties to fully implement (the proposal’s) terms without delay and without condition.”
In addition, the text rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any measures that would reduce the territory of the enclave, sending a message to the hard wing of the Israeli government and aiming to garner support among Arab countries.
In its final paragraph, the resolution reiterates “the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian (National) Authority,” implying the exclusion of Hamas, which won legislative elections in 2006 and then took de facto control of Gaza after its attempt to form a government collapsed, and has ruled independently of the internationally recognized PNA government led by Mahmoud Abbas ever since.
“Now, we are all waiting – we are waiting on Hamas to agree to the ceasefire deal it claims to want. But we cannot afford to wait and wait and wait. With every passing day, needless suffering continues,” the US ambassador stressed in remarks after the vote.
There have been three previous Security Council resolutions on the Gaza war, in November, December and March, calling for a cessation of hostilities or the entry of humanitarian aid, but none have been implemented on the ground, despite their theoretically binding nature.
Blinken visits Israel again
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to Israel on Monday on his eighth trip to the region to restart negotiations for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that would also avoid conflict with Lebanon, and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
The ceasefire would “unlock the possibility of calm along Israel’s northern border and further integration with countries in the region,” Blinken advocated, according to a State Department statement.
Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah have exchanged fire over the border since Israel began its offensive against Gaza on Oct. 8.
Blinken stressed at the meeting “the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading” in the face of increasing pressure from the pro-Iranian militia, which on Monday launched 12 attacks on Israeli territory.
Over 37,100 Palestinians killed in Gaza
Meanwhile, 40 Palestinians lost their lives in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 37,124, while the number of wounded – 218 on Monday – exceeded 84,712, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
“The troops withdrew from the eastern area of Deir el Balah (in the center of the enclave) and some residents decided to return to their homes and check the level of destruction (…),” Palestinian sources told EFE, “when some were subjected to shelling that caused deaths and injuries.”
In Deir Al Balah, where thousands of Gazans took refuge before the Israeli advance in Rafah, the Martyrs of Al Aqsa Hospital is operating with hardly any resources to treat the hundreds of wounded caused by the Israeli operation in Nuseirat to rescue four hostages. EFE
fjo-pbj/ics/mcd