The United Nations Security Council will meet today (2 p.m. GMT) to discuss the war in Gaza, after its Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, used a special measure by invoking Article 99 to urge the body most powerful of the organization to call for a ceasefire.
Since October 7, 17,177 Palestinians and at least 1,147 Israelis have been killed in Gaza. Thousands more remain missing in the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza.
Following Antonio Guterres’ call, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the only Arab country member of the 15-member UN Security Council, has pushed for a draft resolution demanding a “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”.
What is the new draft resolution?
This will be the sixth resolution presented, since the start of the war, to try to find some form of agreement to end the bloodshed.
The UAE Mission to the UN wrote in a statement: “The situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic and almost irreversible. We can’t wait. The Council must act decisively to demand a humanitarian ceasefire.
The draft resolution has the support of other Arab countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
But for a resolution to pass, at least nine of the 15 members of the UN Security Council must vote in favor and none of the five permanent members of the council – the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom – should veto the resolution. resolution.
How have the 15 members voted so far on resolutions on the Gaza war?
In addition to the five permanent members with the right of veto, the Security Council includes 10 non-permanent members elected every two years by the General Assembly.
Current non-permanent members are Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.
The UN Security Council passed five resolutions throughout the war and failed to pass four of them due to a lack of consensus among nations.
Of the 15 members, four voted against the first Russian-led project on October 16: France, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The main criticism he faced was that the draft did not name or condemn Hamas. This project called for an immediate ceasefire.
Brazil carried out the second project on October 18. While he condemned Hamas and called for humanitarian pauses, garnering overwhelming votes in his favor, the United States vetoed the resolution. This is because the resolution does not mention Israel’s right to self-defense, said US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Russia proposed another plan on October 25, calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and the release of prisoners held by Hamas. However, the resolution does not condemn Hamas. Only four members voted in favor. The UK said it wanted the UN Security Council to work on a “balanced text” and that the Russian plan failed to support Israel’s right to self-defense.
The United States also introduced a draft resolution on October 25, calling for a humanitarian pause rather than a ceasefire. Ten members voted in favor, but permanent members Russia and China vetoed the resolution.
On November 15, the UN Security Council finally adopted a Malta-led resolution calling for humanitarian pauses and aid delivery to Gaza. The United States, United Kingdom and Russia abstained, with 12 countries voting in favor.
Jordan led a non-binding resolution at the United Nations General Assembly on October 27, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as well as unhindered access for humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, as well as for Israel to withdraw its call for the evacuation of northern Gaza.
This time, 120 countries, including France, voted in favor, while only 14 countries – including the United States and Israel – voted against, while 45 countries abstained. This resolution was adopted.
What positions have members of the UN Security Council adopted in response to calls for a ceasefire?
- Russia, China, Gabon and Mozambique all voted in favor of an immediate ceasefire in Moscow’s proposed vote on October 16, and have not changed their position since.
- The United Arab Emirates, which submitted the latest resolution for discussion on Friday, called for a ceasefire.
- Brazil’s envoy to the UN said on November 15 that his government supported Guterres’ call for a humanitarian ceasefire. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also called for a ceasefire.
- Malta and Ecuador also supported a humanitarian ceasefire at the UN on November 29.
- Also at the November 29 Security Council meeting, France’s permanent representative to the UN called for the brief truce in effect for a week last month “to be permanent and lead to a ceasefire.” -fire “.
- Ghana, Albania and Switzerland have consistently supported humanitarian pauses, but have not expressed support for resolutions calling for outright ceasefires.
- Japan voted against calls for a ceasefire, while supporting humanitarian pauses.
- The United States and the United Kingdom vetoed resolutions calling for a ceasefire.
What could happen at today’s meeting?
The Security Council could follow Guterres’ advice and consider a Gaza ceasefire resolution, but the US and UK in particular could veto this proposal – as they did in the past.
Ian Wilson, professor of politics and security studies at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, earlier told Tel Aviv Tribune: “The United States will veto any resolution calling for a ceasefire , however carefully worded it may be.
“The United States always vetoes anything that seeks to coerce Israel. This is absolutely counterproductive as the whole world sees them condoning and providing the weapons for a large-scale massacre. »