Team Blitz India
With the United States abstaining, the United Nations Security Council could pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The breakthrough came after a five-month impasse during which the United States vetoed several moves for ending the war.
Israel has criticised the US for allowing the UN Security Council resolution 2728 to pass and in response held back its delegation from visiting Washington for a high-level talk on an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Sharing this information, The New York Times added that the move is being construed as a public rebuke for President Joe Biden who had asked for the meeting.
The abstention comes on the heels of the Russian and Chinese veto of US comprehensive draft resolution in the Council. A State Department statement later stated that while it did not agree with all provisions included in the text, adjustments made by the resolution’s sponsors over recent days are consistent with its “principled position that any ceasefire text must be paired with text on the release of hostages in Gaza”.
According to the State Department statement, “This resolution further explicitly recognizes the painstaking, non-stop negotiations being conducted by the Governments of Egypt, Israel, Qatar, and the United States to achieve such a release in the context of a ceasefire, which would also create space to surge more lifesaving humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians, and to build something more enduring.” It added, “Because the final text does not have key language we view as essential, notably a condemnation of Hamas, we could not support it. This failure to condemn Hamas is particularly difficult to understand coming days after the world once again witnessed the horrific acts terrorist groups commit.”
The US reiterated the need to accelerate and sustain the provision of humanitarian assistance through all available routes – land, sea, and air. “We continue to discuss with partners a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state with real security guarantees for Israel to establish long-term peace and security,” the release added.
