The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday approved a US-backed ceasefire resolution in the latest diplomatic effort to end Israel’s eight-month devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution, which calls for a three-phase comprehensive ceasefire agreement, was adopted by 14 members of the UN Security Council, with Russia abstaining.
US President Joe Biden unveiled the peace proposal on May 31. Before that, the Biden administration had been criticized for blocking at least three U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at ending the war that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians and injured about 85,000 people.
In addition to extending diplomatic cover to its closest ally in the Middle East, Washington has also provided arms and financial aid to Israel, which is accused of violating international laws.
The United States abstained from the latest UN Security Council resolution, adopted in March, calling for a truce.
But hours after Monday’s vote, Israel carried out deadly attacks across the Palestinian enclave, raising questions about whether the latest resolution would lead to a permanent ceasefire. A closer look at the resolution tells us more:
What is the UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire resolution?
It divides the ceasefire into three phases:
- First phase involves six weeks of negotiations and the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. “An immediate, total and complete ceasefire” would come into effect during this phase. Additionally, Palestinian civilians would be able to return home throughout Gaza, including the north. This phase would also focus on humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in need. Additionally, Israeli forces would withdraw from “populated areas” of Gaza. If negotiations exceed the six-week period, the ceasefire will continue.
- Phase two calls for a definitive end to hostilities, the release of all remaining prisoners and a “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza.
- Phase three would involve the reconstruction of Gaza over several years and the return of the remains of all deceased captives still in Gaza.
The resolution rejects any demographic or territorial change in Gaza, “including any action reducing the territory” of Palestine. A previous version of the revolution specified that this included “buffer zones” in Gaza, but the wording was changed. Palestinians and activists have expressed fears that Israel plans to expel Palestinians from Gaza, similar to what happened during the Nakba in the late 1940s when Israel was founded. .
What did Hamas and Israel say about the resolution?
The Palestinian group welcomed the resolution, a senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday.
“The US administration faces a real test of fulfilling its commitments by forcing the occupation to immediately end the war as part of the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution,” he said. he declared.
Hamas leaders want a permanent end to the war, which Israel has rejected, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting that Israel will only end the war once it “destroys” Hamas and freed the remaining prisoners.
Israel’s representative to the UN, Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly, said the war would not end until Hamas’s capabilities were “dismantled”, raising questions over whether Israel would respect the last resolution.
Without such commitment, the resolution would be “very problematic for Hamas,” Hasan Barari, professor of international affairs at Qatar University, told Tel Aviv Tribune. “Will the Israelis accept this and agree to a permanent ceasefire?
The text of the resolution states that Israel accepted Biden’s May 31 ceasefire proposal and “calls on Hamas to accept it as well.”
“It is implied in all the statements of the American administration that the initiative is Israeli. There was coordination between the White House and the Israeli government on the draft resolution,” Barari said.
But Israeli leaders have blasted Biden’s UN-endorsed peace plan. Israeli website Ynetnews reported that the wording of the resolution does not reflect the agreement reached by Israel, which involved Hamas no longer governing Gaza. The website, citing an unnamed senior Israeli official, said the resolution restricted Israel’s freedom of action.
How did countries vote on the Gaza ceasefire resolution?
Fourteen of the 15 members of the UN Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, including all 10 non-permanent members – Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland.
The permanent members – the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France – can veto any resolution. Russia contributed to the resolution 14-0 by refraining from exercising its veto.
The representative of Algeria said: “For us, the lives of the Palestinians matter.”
Switzerland’s representative echoed the sentiment, referring to the Palestinian lives lost during the Israeli assault on Nuseirat last week. At least 274 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli raid on the refugee camp aimed at freeing four captives.
“The catastrophic humanitarian situation is indescribable,” said the representative of Japan.
The representative of the United Kingdom stressed the importance of a rapid increase in humanitarian aid.
Why did Russia abstain?
Russia abstained, saying the resolution’s wording lacked “clarity” and that Moscow was not kept “in the loop.”
Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, questioned the exact terms accepted by Israel.
“The council should not accept any agreement with vague parameters,” he said, without elaborating.
What was China’s position on the resolution?
Even though China’s representative said the draft was “ambiguous” in places, he voted for it, expressing concern over widespread civilian deaths in Gaza.
He added that China would work to bring Israel and Palestine “back on track” toward the two-state solution.
The international community, including Israel’s main supporter, the United States, supports two independent states living side by side for Palestinians and Israelis. But Israel has continued to build Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian land, posing the greatest obstacle to peace. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of having blocked the Oslo Accords, which included a freeze on settlements, considered illegal under international law.
How is this resolution different from previous UN resolutions on Gaza?
This resolution provides for a “permanent ceasefire”, unlike previous ones, which called for pauses in the fighting.
Furthermore, previous resolutions have also not focused on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The latest resolution, adopted on March 25, saw a last-minute change – from a “permanent” ceasefire to a more vague “durable and sustainable” ceasefire – at the request of the United States , who indicated that the word “permanent” could jeopardize the outcome of the vote, published Tel Aviv Tribune Arabic’s Rami Ayari on X.
The March resolution was introduced by the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council and called for a cessation of hostilities during the month of Ramadan, of which two weeks remained when the resolution was adopted with 14 votes in favor after the abstention of the United States.
Following the March resolution, the Algerian ambassador said it would end the “bloodbath”, but since then more than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of homes have been left in ruins.
Is a “permanent ceasefire” possible?
The resolution urges Israel and Hamas to take the necessary steps to implement a “permanent ceasefire.”
“The problem here is that the implementation of such a resolution depends on the agreement of Hamas and Israel. Right now, I don’t think any of them are saying they fully accept it,” Barari said.
Hamas wants a “permanent ceasefire”, while Israel wants the destruction of Hamas as a condition for ending the war.
“In any case, the political crisis comes from the fact that Netanyahu has absolutely refused to reach a deal in which he commits to ending the war,” said Mairav Zonszein, a senior Israeli analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG).
From the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking arrest warrants against Israeli leaders to the international community calling Israel’s military offensive in Gaza genocidal, this war has caused reputational damage of Israel, which worries many Israelis, Zonszein said.
She said she did not believe the United States had put enough pressure on Israel or used conditions and aid to get Israel to change its behavior.
“Israel cannot fight wars without the help and support of the United States. »