Middle-East

UNSC vote on new Gaza ceasefire text postponed to Monday

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the White House during the "March on Washington for Gaza" in Washington, DC, on January 13, 2024. (Photo: Roberto Schmidt/ AFP)

By Mwangi Maina | Saturday, March 23, 2024

This comes after Russia and China on Friday vetoed a US-led draft resolution that condemned a recent attack by Hamas but did not explicitly demand an immediate end to Israel's campaign in Gaza

The vote at the UN Security Council on a new resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict has been postponed to Monday.

This comes after Russia and China on Friday vetoed a US-led draft resolution that condemned a recent attack by Hamas but did not explicitly demand an immediate end to Israel's campaign in Gaza. The United States is Israel's main ally and military backer.

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Discussions on the new ceasefire text will continue, hence the postponement of the vote originally scheduled for Saturday.

The new, tougher draft resolution, seen by AFP, "demands an immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan that leads "to a permanent, sustainable ceasefire" respected by all sides.

Eight of the council's 10 non-permanent members have been working on the draft, which also calls for the "immediate and unconditional" release of hostages seized by Hamas and the lifting of "all barriers" to humanitarian aid flowing into the besieged Gaza Strip.

"We as (the) Arab Group, unanimously endorse and support the draft resolution," said Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, who had denounced the US-led text as biased.

But US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield indicated opposition, saying the resolution would jeopardise ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure the release of hostages—the same reason the United States gave before vetoing previous ceasefire resolutions.

"In its current form, that text fails to support sensitive diplomacy in the region. Worse, it could actually give Hamas an excuse to walk away from the deal on the table," she said.

Friday's text did not explicitly use the word "call," but simply stated that a ceasefire was imperative and linked to ongoing talks, led by Qatar with support from the US and Egypt, to halt fighting in return for Hamas releasing hostages.

"If the US is serious about a ceasefire, then please vote in favour of the other draft resolution, clearly calling for a ceasefire," China's representative, Zhang Jun, said.

At least 31,988 Palestinians have been killed and 74,188 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The death toll in Israel from Hamas's October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens taken captive.

Additional reporting by AFP