2023-12-23 10:40:04
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, center, during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on December 22, 2023. YUKI IWAMURA / AP
After five days of tense negotiations within the United Nations to avoid a new American veto, the UN Security Council agreed to demand, Friday, December 22, the delivery ” in large scale “ humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. But the text, largely watered down over the course of the discussions, does not call for a ceasefire, a condition that the United States refused, in accordance with the demands of its Israeli ally.
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Moscow wanted at the last moment to restore the mention of a “suspension of hostilities” ; Washington opposed it. The two countries therefore abstained on the text adopted by the thirteen other members of the Council. The resolution calls for “urgent measures” to enable expanded humanitarian access and “create the conditions for a lasting cessation of hostilities”. “We know that it is not a perfect text, only a ceasefire will put an end to the suffering [des Gazaouis]»conceded the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, Lana Nusseibeh, coordinator of the negotiations.
The negotiations therefore made it possible to avoid a third American veto on a resolution concerning Gaza since the Hamas attacks on October 7 in Israel, when the threshold of 20,000 deaths was crossed in the Palestinian enclave, according to local authorities.
“Very opaque statement”
The vote, initially scheduled for Monday, was postponed every day, with American demands leading to a text constantly revised downwards. “Benyamin Netanyahu’s pressure on the White House was extremely strong”, assures a diplomat close to the negotiations. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the American ambassador, who defended this abstention – including to Joe Biden – nevertheless underlined “the emergency” of “ensure that humanitarian personnel and assistance can reach the people who need them.” His Israeli counterpart Gilad Erdan thanked the United States for remaining ” alongside “ of Israel during these negotiations by maintaining “the defined red lines”.
“The mention “conditions for a lasting cessation of hostilities” is very opaque, analyzes Richard Gowan, of the International Crisis Group think tank. This can be interpreted as calling for talks with Hamas, as well as for Hamas to surrender.”
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The Palestinian representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, was surprised that it took seventy-five days at the Security Council “to finally pronounce the words “cessation of hostilities””. “This resolution is a step in the right direction. It must be implemented and must be accompanied by massive pressure for an immediate ceasefire”he added. “Now that the United States has validated this aid mechanism, they should put more pressure on Israel to put it in place”summarizes a diplomat close to the negotiations.
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