Washington (ANTARA) – The White House said on Thursday that a number of negotiators were “actively working” with international partners on the UN Security Council to seek a critical resolution to address the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
The text of the draft, which calls for an “immediate cessation” of hostilities in the besieged coastal enclave to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, has been pending in the council for more than a week, and is likely to be postponed for a fourth time on Thursday.
What is problematic is the repeated vetoes carried out by the United States (US) which canceled two previous council drafts that demanded a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. US President Joe Biden continues to oppose a ceasefire, saying it would only benefit Hamas.
“We’re still working with our partners there on some of the things that need to be addressed. Of course it’s important to us that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is addressed,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters amid ongoing delays caused by potential third US veto.
“We’re working harder than any other country to really address those issues. So, we certainly agree that that needs to be an integral part of this effort.”
“But again, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves at this point. And we are working as a team to push forward the President’s approach and his policies supporting Israel and supporting the Palestinian people,” he added.
The US, which is a permanent member of the council, issued its final veto to a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire on December 8.
The UN General Assembly, where the US does not have veto power, then quickly took up the issue four days later, with most member states supporting the non-binding resolution.
One of the key points in the draft resolution being considered in the Security Council is the establishment of a UN mechanism to monitor aid deliveries, and whether such a mechanism should be independent of Israel and Hamas.
When asked whether the US continued to believe that Israel should have a role in inspection activities, Kirby said he would not speak directly about ongoing negotiations.
However, he stressed that “Israel understandably has the right to carry out inspections, a major role, a very important role, and we understand and respect that.”
Source: Anatolia
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2023-12-22 03:25:10
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