US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was optimistic that the new, tougher draft resolution would be approved Friday by the 15-member council.
The draft being put to a vote “determines” — which is a council order — “the imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire,” with no direct link to the release of captives taken, which was in the previous draft.
But it would unequivocally support diplomatic efforts “to secure such a cease-fire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages.”
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said Moscow will not be satisfied “with anything that doesn’t call for an immediate ceasefire,” saying it’s what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pressing for and what "everybody” wants.
Polyansky questioned the wording of the draft, asking, “What’s an imperative? I have an imperative to give you $100, but … it’s only an imperative, not $100.”
“So, somebody’s fooling around, I think, (with the) international community,” the Russian envoy said.
The Security Council had already adopted two resolutions on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but none calling for a cease-fire.
Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution in late October calling for pauses in the fighting to deliver aid, protection of civilians, and a halt to arming Hamas.
They said it didn’t reflect global calls for a cease-fire.
The US, Israel’s closest ally, has vetoed three resolutions demanding a cease-fire, the most recent being an Arab-backed measure supported by 13 council members with one abstention on 20 February.
A day earlier, the US circulated a rival resolution, which has gone through major changes during negotiations before Friday's vote.
It initially would have supported a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of all hostages, and the previous draft would have supported international efforts for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal.
The vote will take place as Blinken, America’s top diplomat, is on his sixth urgent mission to the Middle East since the Israeli war in Gaza, discussing a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release, as well as post-war scenarios.
Nate Evans, the spokesperson for the US Mission to the United Nations who announced the Friday morning vote, said: “This resolution is an opportunity for the Council to speak with one voice to support the diplomacy happening on the ground and pressure Hamas to accept the deal on the table.”
Meanwhile, the 10 elected members of the Security Council have been drafting their resolution, which would demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that began March 10 to be “respected by all parties leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire.”
It also demands “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages ” and emphasizes the urgent need to protect civilians and deliver humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip.
In Gaza, the Health Ministry raised the death toll in the territory Thursday to nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The international community’s authority on determining the severity of hunger crises warned this week that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza, where 70 percent of people are experiencing catastrophic hunger.
The report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, or IPC, warned that escalation of the war could push half of Gaza’s total population to the brink of starvation.
The US draft would express “deep concern about the threat of conflict-induced famine and epidemics presently facing the civilian population in Gaza as well as the number of undernourished people, and also that hunger in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels.”
It would emphasize “the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians in the entire Gaza Strip” and lift all barriers to getting aid to civilians “at scale.”
The draft was being put in “blue” Thursday night, the final form required for a vote.
After closed council consultations on Gaza late Thursday, France’s UN Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière told reporters: “There is a desire to take action, no one wants to procrastinate, so we hope that a decision can be made by tomorrow (Friday) evening.”
“There are two options: Either the US text is adopted and then we’ll move to the next phase of this crisis management,” he said, “or the text is not adopted and then the draft of the elected members will come to the table and put to the vote, and I hope it will be adopted.”
Israel faces mounting pressure from even its closest allies to streamline the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip to open more land crossings and come to a ceasefire agreement.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to move the military offensive to the southern city of Rafah, where some 1.3 million displaced Palestinians have sought safety. Netanyahu claims it's a Hamas stronghold.
The final US draft eliminated language in the initial draft that said Israel’s offensive in Rafah “should not proceed under current circumstances.”
Instead, in an introductory paragraph, the council would emphasize its concern that a ground offensive into Rafah “would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement, potentially into neighbouring countries, and would have serious implications for regional peace and security.”
For the first time in a UN resolution, the US draft would condemn “all acts of terrorism, including the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, as well as its taking and killing of hostages, murder of civilians, and sexual violence, including rape.”
China
China said Friday it supported steps by the UN Security Council to end fighting in Gaza, while not saying whether Beijing, a permanent council member with veto power, would support a US draft resolution on the need for an immediate ceasefire.
"China supports the Security Council in taking further responsible and meaningful actions as soon as possible to make unremitting efforts to end the fighting in Gaza at an early date," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said.
Asked Friday whether it supported the resolution, Beijing demurred.
"The international community expects the Security Council to earnestly fulfil its responsibilities," Lin said.
"On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, we must respect history and facts, listen to and respect the position and voice of the majority of Arab countries, realise a ceasefire and end of fighting as soon as possible," he added.
"This is the yardstick by which we measure the Security Council's actions and decisions," he said.
Russia
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said Moscow will not be satisfied “with anything that doesn’t call for an immediate ceasefire,” saying it’s what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pressing for and what "everybody” wants.
Polyansky questioned the wording of the draft, asking, “What’s an imperative? I have an imperative to give you $100, but … it’s only an imperative, not $100.”
“So, somebody’s fooling around, I think, (with the) international community,” the Russian envoy said.
Short link: