AFTER more than five months of war, the UN Security Council for the first time on Monday demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after the United States, an Israeli ally that vetoed an earlier draft, abstained.
Drawing applause in the usually staid Security Council, the remaining 14 members voted in favor of a resolution “demanding an immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing holy month of Ramadan.
The resolution calls for the ceasefire to lead to a “lasting and sustainable ceasefire.” The resolution demands that Hamas and other militants release hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked a major Israeli military campaign.
“The bloodshed has gone on for too long,” said Amar Bendjama, the representative of Algeria, currently a member of the Arab bloc’s Security Council and sponsor of the resolution along with groups that include Slovenia, Switzerland, Japan and South Korea.
“Ultimately, the Security Council bears its responsibility,” he said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanded that the resolution be implemented. “Failure cannot be forgiven,” Guterres wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour fought back tears as he said the resolution should be a “turning point” in ending the war.
“Apologies to those who have failed in the world, to those who could have been saved but were not saved,” he said.
There is no moral right to stop war
The United States has repeatedly blocked Security Council resolutions that put pressure on Israel but has increasingly expressed frustration with its allies as an Israeli ally. The UN warns of impending famine in Gaza.
Also read: Support for a ceasefire in Gaza overflows at the UN General Assembly
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week vowed to defy US calls and expand Israel’s military campaign to Rafah, the southern Gaza city where some 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge.
Moments after the United States refused to veto the latest resolution, Netanyahu announced that he would no longer send a delegation to Washington requested by President Joe Biden to discuss Rafah.
The resolution “gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to accept a ceasefire without the release of our kidnapped victims,” Netanyahu said.
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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, already in Washington on a separate trip, said his country would not end the war until the hostages were freed.
“We have no moral right to stop the war while there are still hostages being held in Gaza,” he said outside the White House.
Hamas welcomed the resolution and said it would hold talks on a prisoner swap brokered by Qatar, after repeated delays in reaching a deal.
Also read: King of Jordan urges ongoing Gaza ceasefire in talks with Biden
The US says responsibility still lies with Hamas
At the White House, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US side was “confused” and “disappointed” that the Israeli delegation’s visit had been cancelled.
US officials have argued the resolution is non-binding, a point debated at the UN. Kirbi also said the resolution would not jeopardize talks that have made progress under Qatar.
Even without the delegation’s visit, the United States will continue to communicate to Israel that the attack on Rafah was a “mistake,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
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The Hamas attack on October 7, the deadliest in Israel’s history, resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.
Israel responded by vowing to eliminate Hamas. Hamas’ campaign in Gaza has killed more than 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory.
Russia made a last-minute but failed attempt on Monday to call for a resolution for a “permanent” rather than “lasting” ceasefire. The envoy, Vasily Nebenzia, accused the United States of still wanting to give Israel “freedom.” (AFP/Z-3)
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