Reports indicate that a new text is on the Council’s table, and it is the result of arduous negotiations that took place under the American threat to use its veto power again.
The new draft resolution, seen by Agence France-Presse, calls for urgent measures that would immediately allow safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid, as well as creating conditions for a permanent cessation of hostilities. Thus, the new draft resolution has abandoned the call for a cessation. Urgent and permanent hostilities, a phrase he included in his original version.
One of the main points of contention for the United States was a proposal by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to establish a monitoring mechanism for all humanitarian relief shipments to Gaza, provided by land, sea and air.
Instead, the amended draft resolution asks Guterres to appoint a senior coordinator for humanitarian affairs and reconstruction to establish a United Nations mechanism to accelerate aid to Gaza. The coordinator will also assume responsibility for facilitation and monitoring in Gaza. Where appropriatefrom the humanitarian nature of all aid.
The initial draft resolution required Israel and Hamas to allow and facilitate the use of all land, sea and air routes leading to and throughout the Gaza Strip to deliver aid.
This has been modified to all available methods. Some diplomats said this allows Israel to retain control over aid access.
The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that the draft resolution had not been weakened, and described it as a very strong project that enjoyed the full support of the Arab group. The American ambassador confirmed that the new text will allow the provision of humanitarian aid to those in need.
Voting has become complicated
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, the former minister and professor of political science, Amin Al-Mashaqba, said that voting on resolutions for a ceasefire in Gaza has become complicated in the Security Council, adding:
- Failure to pass a resolution for a ceasefire and to provide more aid means that we are talking about an inability to reach the voting process.
- The UAE and the Arab countries adopted a draft resolution aimed at a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid through the United Nations for the benefit of the residents of Azza.
- There is a new fear that the American veto will be used and the vote will be postponed until next week if an agreement is not reached.
- The current US administration agrees with Israel’s view that the distribution of these shipments or aid should be under Israel’s control.
- Insisting on condemning Hamas and classifying it as a terrorist movement.
- If the United States or any of the five main countries that have veto power abstains from voting, the resolution is adopted and is considered binding on all member states of the United Nations.
- It is important that the United States or Britain do not veto the decision to stop hostilities and pass aid through the United Nations.
- The United States feels isolated from the rest of the world and from the 153 countries in the world that voted for a ceasefire, which constitutes a pressure factor on it.
- The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and a number of Arab countries are taking diplomatic action with several European countries to pressure Israel for a ceasefire and to facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid.
- The scale of the human tragedy in Gaza today has exceeded all limits of self-defense claimed by Israel, as it is exercising insane revenge on the residents of the Gaza Strip.
- It is necessary to provide humanitarian medical assistance to operate hospitals as a first step, and to temporarily suspend hostilities so that aid trucks can enter the Gaza Strip.
- Israel reduced the number of daily aid trucks from 200 to about 44 trucks, which is not enough, considering that we were talking about 500 trucks per day to the Gaza Strip.
- The situation in the Gaza Strip is tragic and requires an international moral stance.
- Relying on escalating the positions of both parties towards each other is a type of pressure in the diplomatic process.
- During 80 days of war, Israel was unable to achieve any of the three goals it declared.
- The extreme right, led by Netanyahu and the War Council, is leading a military campaign to search and comb the Gaza Strip, with the aim of reaching the leaders of the Hamas movement inside the Strip.
- Netanyahu wants to reoccupy the Gaza Strip and create safe areas that he can cut off from the Strip while continuing Israeli security dominance.
- The United States is a practical partner in this war in terms of advisory and logistical assistance.
The veto…and the image of Washington
For his part, Democratic Party strategist Justin Thomas Russell says that this delay in voting on a ceasefire resolution in Gaza is evidence of Washington’s beginning to realize that the military operations carried out by the Israeli army reflect negatively on the American image.
Thomas adds:
- The difficulty of Biden’s position regarding unconditional support for Israel.
- There is support from the majority in the Council that supports the introduction of more aid in addition to stopping military actions in Gaza for a week at the latest.
- If the veto is used after all this negotiation, the Biden administration will be in a very difficult position.
- Abstention may be the best option for the United States.
- The Biden administration is very clear in its pro-Israeli position in the operations against the Gaza Strip and in the efforts to eliminate Hamas and protect Israeli civilians within their borders.
- At the same time, the Biden administration stated the necessity of a two-state solution at the end of this conflict.
- The two-state solution is integral to the future of the issue, and is a hint to Israel that the matter can be ended quickly.
- If this humanitarian catastrophe continues to escalate horribly, Washington will work hard to push for a peaceful solution to this crisis.
- If pressure and attacks from the Iranians, Houthis, and Hezbollah on American forces in the region continue, the United States will be forced to defend itself.
- Reuters quoted the US envoy to the United Nations as saying that she could support the current draft of the Security Council resolution on aid to Gaza.
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2023-12-22 10:09:10
