The UN Security Council has once again reached an impasse. The day before, after lengthy consultations, Council members voted on two resolutions on the Middle East conflict, proposed separately by the United States and Russia, and neither was adopted.
The United States proposed its draft resolution on Saturday afternoon and the Russian draft has been circulating in the Council for a second week. Disagreements are fundamental.
The American version condemns the actions of Hamas (the organization itself is classified as terrorist in the United States) as terrorist, emphasizes Israel’s right to self-defense, demands the immediate release of the hostages and proposes the creation of humanitarian corridors for the rendition of humanitarian aid. help Gaza. The Russian version does not condemn Hamas and demands a complete and immediate ceasefire and the cancellation of the evacuation of Gaza residents from the north to the south of the enclave. Russia and China vetoed the US resolution and the Russian representative criticized it.
“It is not surprising that the final product does not meet even minimum quality standards,” said Russia’s permanent representative, Vasily Nebenzya. — It still does not contain a call for a ceasefire. It does not condemn the indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian objects in Gaza. No action aimed at the forced relocation of civilians is denied. “This is a completely politicized document, whose sole objective is not to save civilians, but rather to mark the political guidelines of the United States in the region through labels.”
Ten members of the Security Council voted in favor of the American resolution and, if not for the “veto” of Russia and China, the Security Council would have adopted it.
“The United States is deeply disappointed that Russia and China vetoed this resolution,” said US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. —The resolution was firm and balanced. This was the result of consultations with the members of this Council. We have heard you all. We took your comments into account and worked to achieve consensus on a resolution that would send a clear message to the world. And most importantly, it would make it clear to Israelis and Palestinians that this Council is ready to act.”
The Chinese representative explained his veto by the “evasive language” of the American version.
“We do not agree with the evasive wording of the draft resolution, with the fact that it neither directly demands the cessation of hostilities nor calls for an immediate ceasefire in clear and unambiguous terms,” China’s permanent representative to the UN said. , Zhang Jun. “At the moment, the ceasefire is not just a diplomatic term, it means the life or death of many civilians. “The vague wording of the Security Council resolution on issues of war and peace is irresponsible and extremely dangerous, paving the way for a major military operation and for further escalation of the military conflict.”
Countries that supported the U.S. resolution acknowledge that it was not ideal, but it could be the first step toward a greater solution. Albania supported the version proposed by the United States.
“We know that the perfect is the enemy of the good,” said Albania’s permanent representative to the UN, Ferit Hoxha. —When urgent and complex problems require immediate action, we must do the best we can under the existing circumstances, even if we would like to do more. This project was an example of this. Now is the time to take meaningful action that leads to a concrete result. The US draft resolution may not have been ideal. But we supported it because it offered a better, smarter opportunity to move forward.”
The Russian resolution was put to a vote after the American one. The US representative urged not to vote for her.
“Colleagues, we must not allow Russia to behave cynically and irresponsibly and we must not vote in favor of its draft resolution, which was proposed at the last minute without any consultation and contains a number of problematic language,” Thomas-Greenfield said. . “Today’s vote has set us back, but we must not stop.” “The United States is committed to its draft resolution and stands ready to work with all members of the Security Council to support the efforts of the UN Secretary General, President Biden, and Secretary of State Blinken.”
The Russian resolution, with some amendments, was put to the vote for the second time. The first time, last week, it had the support of five countries, this time four. Great Britain vetoed it.
“The United Kingdom could not support the resolution proposed by Russia because it did not contain a provision on Israel’s right to self-defense,” Barbara Woodward, the United Kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN, explained of the British position. — A serious crisis is developing in the Middle East. The Russian text of the resolution was put to a vote without consulting Council members and was not a serious attempt to represent a unified Council opinion. We are committed to working with all Council members to create a balanced resolution that condemns Hamas, emphasizes Israel’s right to self-defense, clearly articulates the need to protect civilians in accordance with international law, and ensures the delivery of more humanitarian aid to Gaza. ”
The UN General Assembly discusses the situation in the Middle East separately from the Security Council. General Assembly resolutions, unlike Security Council resolutions, are not legally binding.
