The United States said it would veto an Algerian draft resolution at the U.N. Security Council calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”
The United States said it would block another resolution soon to be presented to the United Nations calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.
Algeria has proposed that a new resolution be put to a vote by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday that calls for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza , while also demanding “immediate and unconditional release”. of all the hostages.
“If it is put to a vote as written, it will not be adopted,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement on Saturday.
The envoy said the resolution could “run counter to” goals that Washington says can be achieved through diplomacy in talks between Israel and Hamas, in which Qatar and Egypt are also mediating .
A potential deal, under discussion for weeks, proposes a week-long truce, during which Israeli captives held in Gaza could be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, and more humanitarian aid could flow into the Strip. Gaza under siege.
Negotiations appeared to suffer a setback last week when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas’ demands “ridiculous”, and mediator Qatar said the talks were not promising.
“The Council has an obligation to ensure that any action we take in the coming days increases pressure on Hamas to accept the proposal presented,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
The United States has used its veto power to support Israel in the Security Council on dozens of occasions. He has done so several times since the war began on October 7, most recently in early December when he vetoed a ceasefire resolution presented by the United Arab Emirates.
A UN Security Council resolution was adopted in late December, but it was heavily criticized by human rights organizations and others for being a “watered down” version of the original proposal.
The Algerian proposal to pass a new resolution comes amid growing fears that Israel is considering a ground invasion of Rafah, in southern Gaza, where around 1.4 million Palestinians displaced from other parts of the territory live since October. Humanitarian agencies and the United Nations have warned that a ground attack on Rafah could be catastrophic.
