The UN Security Council Finally Passed A Resolution Demanding An Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza For Two Weeks
This was the first time the US did not use its right to veto as a permanent member of the council, after it repeatedly blocked several UNSC resolutions demanding a ceasefire over the past five months.
After more than five months, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) finally adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks.
The resolution, which passed on Monday, March 25, also calls for Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release all hostages it seized on Oct. 7 and to urgently expand the flow of aid into Gaza.
Applause erupted in the room as the resolution, which was issued by the 10 elected countries in the UN, passed, with 14 members voting in favor, and the US abstained.
This was the first time the US did not use its right to veto as a permanent member of the council, after it repeatedly blocked several UNSC resolutions demanding a ceasefire over the past five months.
The US’ UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US had abstained because it did not agree with everything with the resolution, like the fact that its request to add a condemnation of Hamas was ignored.
The resolution has been welcomed by officials from around the world.
The UN’s Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said on X that the resolution must be implemented and that failure to do so would be “unforgivable.”
“The international community in its entirety did not abandon you, feels you suffering, did not abandon you,” Algeria’s UN Ambassador and the Arab bloc’s current Security Council member, Amar Benjama, said after the vote.
He said the draft is only the beginning, adding that “tThe bloodbath has continued for far too long.”
Palestine’s UN Ambassador, Riyad Mansour, welcomed the resolution, saying that it is time for Israel “to be held accountable” for its actions.
“This must be a turning point, this must lead to saving lives on the ground, this must signal the end of this assault of atrocities against our people,” he added while visibly holding back tears.
Russia had proposed a verbal amendment calling for a permanent ceasefire by returning the word “permanent” to the draft but it did not pass due to the lack of votes.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the fact that the word “permanent” in the draft was replaced with weaker language is unacceptable.
French Ambassador Nicholas de Rivière welcomed the adoption,saying that “it was high time” that the Security Council acted and that after the end of Ramadan,they have to establish “a permanent ceasefire.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the resolution is “a step in the right direction.”
It added that it is crucial to achieve a permanent ceasefire that extends beyond Ramadan to allow aid to enter, release prisoners and prevent forced displacement.
Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan said the resolution “undermines the efforts” to secure the release of all hostages, calling the resolution a “travesty”
After the resolution passed, Israel canceled a trip to Washington to meet with US officials regarding its military campaign in Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering with nowhere else to go.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the US abstention was “a clear retreat” from its position and would hurt Israel’s war efforts.
Hamas welcomed the news on its Telegram channel and added that Israel must be held accountable for complying with the resolution, stressing on the importance of a permanent ceasefire and the release of captives from both sides.
More than 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children have been killed by Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7.
