After vetoing three previous UN resolutions on Gaza, US sees its ceasefire proposal rejected

CNN
—

A United Nations Security Council resolution proposed by the United States calls for a ceasefire linked to the release of the hostages in Gaza It was not passed on Friday after Russia and China vetoed the draft resolution.

The rejected draft resolution called for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire… with regard to the release of all remaining hostages.” Washington had previously used its veto power against three previous United Nations resolutions calling for a ceasefire.

The UN vote came amid the resumption of hostage talks in Qatar on Friday, and with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arriving in Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of the UN vote. An intense diplomatic push Towards a ceasefire.

The United States, the most prominent defender of Israel on the global stage, faced severe criticism in Arab countries and Europe for its refusal to call for a ceasefire early in the Gaza war, as well as its reluctance to translate its verbal criticism of Israel’s behavior into diplomacy. an act.

11 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, but permanent members Russia and China, which have veto power, objected to it. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said that the Security Council's decision “not to condemn Hamas is a disgrace that will never be forgotten.”

Meanwhile, Algeria – which also rejected the resolution – said the text presented “was not a clear message of peace, and would have allowed more Palestinian civilians to be killed.” The United States had previously rejected the ceasefire resolution proposed by Algeria.

Experts say that Washington seeks, through the draft resolution, to recover from international criticism of its support for Israel.

Frank Lowenstein, who served as a special US envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under US President Barack Obama during the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza, said that the resolution included a phrase that the United States was not prepared to use before. This signals an “immediate ceasefire,” which the former diplomat said was likely an attempt to bring the United States back from months of international “isolation.”

“It brings the United States back into line with the international community, so we are not as isolated as we were with our veto power,” he said.

Lowenstein said Russia and China's veto was a “blatant effort” to keep the United States isolated. He said: “They (Russia and China) are playing politics regarding the ceasefire, and clearly put their desire to isolate the United States internationally before the interests of the Palestinians in Gaza who are in desperate need of a ceasefire.”

The United States rejected a draft resolution on October 18 This called for a “temporary pause for humanitarian reasons,” which US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield objected to because it “did not mention Israel's right to self-defense.”

The United States used its veto power against a second United Nations resolution on… December 8It rejected the version put forward by the United Arab Emirates, which called for an “immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds” as well as the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and “guaranteed access to humanitarian aid.”

Recently, the United States used its veto power against an Algerian draft resolution on… February 20 This called for an immediate ceasefire, which Thomas-Greenfield said would “jeopardize sensitive negotiations.”

But Washington's position toward Israel's war policies gradually changed, amid the escalating death toll in Gaza and growing opposition to what American and international observers saw as the Biden administration's inability to rein in its Israeli ally.

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this month Traded Harsh criticism in interviews about the Israeli war, especially about the planned Israeli incursion into Rafah.

United States even Israeli settlers subject to sanctions In the West Bank, Biden publicly praised Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's speech calling for new Israeli elections to replace Netanyahu.

“I think there has been a gap from day one, a gap between language and actions,” said Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at think tank Chatham House in London.
“But I think language and action are gradually coming closer, closing the gap millimeter by millimeter.”

Speaking to CNN before the vote on Friday, he said that if the US resolution had been passed, it would have been “the end of giving Israel carte blanche to do whatever it wants.” “(The tension in) relations between the two countries is unprecedented.”

Lowenstein said the decision is a “strong signal” to Israel that there are consequences for defying the United States on its requests for humanitarian aid and against the incursion into Rafah. He added to CNN that this also means convincing all parties to agree to a ceasefire agreement regarding the hostages, especially Hamas.