A vote scheduled for Saturday in the Security Council on a new draft resolution demanding an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza has been postponed until Monday, diplomatic sources said. The goal is to avoid another failure after the rejection of an American text on Friday.
On Friday, Russia and China vetoed a draft US resolution emphasizing the “need” for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza in connection with negotiations for the release of hostages captured during the bloody attack by Hamas on October 7 on Israeli soil.
Some observers saw this as a substantial shift in Washington’s position, under pressure to limit its support for Israel. The United States had until then systematically opposed the term “ceasefire” in UN resolutions, blocking three texts to this effect.
“Hypocritical spectacle”
But the American text did not explicitly call for an immediate ceasefire, using language considered ambiguous by Arab countries, China and Russia, which denounced the “hypocritical spectacle” of the United States while Gaza is “virtually erased from the map”.
Eight of the ten non-permanent members of the Security Council, including Switzerland, worked on a new draft resolution, on which a vote was initially scheduled for Saturday.
Changes requested
The latest version seen by AFP, supported by the Arab group, “demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire for the month of Ramadan […] leading to a lasting ceasefire”, while the Israeli offensive in Gaza left more than 32,000 dead, according to the Hamas health ministry. He also calls for the “unconditional” release of the hostages and the lifting of “all obstacles” to humanitarian aid.
But American Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned on Friday against this text, which, according to her, presents a risk for diplomatic efforts on the ground with a view to a truce agreement in exchange for the release of the hostages. This argument had already been used during the last American veto at the end of February.
The United States therefore requested changes to the text, several diplomatic sources told AFP during the night from Friday to Saturday. And to allow the continuation of negotiations, which relate in particular to the link between the ceasefire and the release of the hostages, the vote was postponed until Monday, these sources specified.
This article is originally published on tdg.ch
