There were no surprises. The draft resolution presented by Algeria to the United Nations Security Council, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, was vetoed by the United States,” reports El Mundo. In addition to the American veto, the text received thirteen votes in favor and one abstention (the United Kingdom).
“This was the third time that Washington used its veto to block a resolution demanding an end to the fighting in Gaza, underscoring the isolation of the United States in its continued and resolute support for Israel,” points out The New York Times.
“The United States had warned for several days that it would oppose the text,” notes New York Magazine. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, said on Saturday that Washington was “working on a hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas, providing for the suspension of fighting for at least six weeks” and that the The adoption of the Algerian resolution would jeopardize the negotiations.
But these discussions “failed, with neither Israel nor Hamas reaching consensus on the terms of an agreement,” says the New York Times.
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, is hardly more convinced by the American arguments, according to which the resolution could have derailed the discussions: “This is not true, because two of the countries involved in these negotiations difficult, Qatar and Egypt, have indicated that this is not the case,” he told Al-Jazeera.
An immediate ceasefire would, on the contrary, allow negotiators “to move forward quickly and achieve the objective of exchanging prisoners and hostages,” he argued.
“Growing unease in the US government”
“Presented by Algeria after more than three weeks of discussions, the text also opposed the ‘forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population’”, specifies Le Temps, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to launch a ground offensive on Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are crowded together in appalling humanitarian conditions.
“A vote for this draft resolution is support for the Palestinian right to live. Conversely, voting against means support for the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted on them,” commented Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama just before the vote.
Although they rejected the Algerian proposal, the United States indicated that they were working on their own draft resolution, the outline of which began to leak to the press.
“The proposed US text calls for a temporary ceasefire ‘as soon as possible’, on the condition that all hostages are released, as well as the removal of obstacles preventing [humanitarian] aid from “arrive in Gaza”, details the BBC. He further reaffirms that “a large-scale ground offensive [on Rafah] should not take place under current conditions”.
“But we do not know if or when the Security Council will vote on the text proposed by Washington,” nuance British radio and television.
And even if it is, it is “very possible that one of the other permanent members of the Council”, such as China or Russia, will veto it, suggests the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “Nevertheless, the wording of the American proposal appears to reflect the American government’s growing unease with Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip,” observes the Bavarian daily.
Prince William comes out of his reserve
An opinion shared by the Financial Times, which considers that “the use of a UN Security Council resolution to call for a change in Israel’s strategy represents an important diplomatic step for the United States”.
For the economic daily, the American draft resolution “represents a rare criticism of Israel at the UN from the United States, reflecting President Joe Biden’s frustration with the conduct of the Israeli government’s war in Gaza and to the high number of Palestinian civilian deaths – and as the planned attack on Rafah becomes a potential breaking point for Washington”.
But for the left-wing American magazine Mother Jones, the resolution prepared by Joe Biden’s government “is far from being a questioning of the unwavering support of the United States for Israel, in a war which has seen the ally of the States -United States cause the deaths of more than 29,000 Palestinians” and transform Gaza into a “lunar warscape”.
If we had to look for a surprise on Tuesday in the concert of reactions to the war between Israel and Hamas, it was towards the United Kingdom that we should turn.
Very concerned about the human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7,” the Prince of Wales has openly called for an end to the war. “There have been too many deaths. Like so many others, I want the fighting to stop as quickly as possible. Gaza desperately needs increased humanitarian aid. It is essential that aid is delivered and that the hostages are released,” he said.
This article is originally published on courrierinternational.com
