Intensive Negotiations at the United Nations Ahead of Expected Vote on Gaza Resolution
Intensive negotiations were underway at the United Nations ahead of an expected vote Tuesday on a resolution calling for a halt in hostilities to allow much-needed aid to enter Gaza, according to diplomats.
The United Nations Security Council is convening on Tuesday to discuss, among other things, a resolution drafted by the United Arab Emirates calling for a suspension of hostilities in Gaza to allow for the delivery of critically needed humanitarian aid, UAE Ambassador to the United Nations Lana Nusseibeh said.
The vote, which was originally scheduled for Monday, was delayed a day to allow more time for negotiations. At the center of the talks is drafting language that could gain a “yes” vote from the United States, or at least an abstention, which would allow the measure to pass.
The draft resolution is said to have originally included a call for a “cessation of hostilities” to allow much-needed aid to enter Gaza. Diplomats were hopeful that changing the language to “suspension of hostilities” could gain American support.
The significance of Tuesday’s vote lies in the fact that the US has previously vetoed measures at the UN Security Council and voted against a call for a ceasefire in the larger UN General Assembly. If the US allows the resolution to pass, it would amount to an important signal to Israel from its top ally, signaling the growing international outcry over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The vote is expected sometime later Tuesday as the Security Council is expected to convene at 10 a.m. ET to discuss the Middle East question. The resolution is expected to be the subject of intense debate leading up to the vote.
Earlier this month, the United States vetoed a resolution in the 15-member UNSC that included the word “ceasefire” in the text. As one of the five permanent members of the UNSC, a US veto means the resolution will not pass. According to Nusseibeh, the latest resolution comes amid a “critical” need to stop hostilities and allow in aid as the humanitarian crisis in the enclave reaches “catastrophic” levels.
The wider United Nations General Assembly voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in war-torn Gaza last week, in a rebuke to the United States, which has repeatedly blocked ceasefire calls in the Security Council. While the General Assembly vote is politically significant and seen as wielding moral weight, it is nonbinding, unlike a Security Council resolution.
The Security Council’s decision on the resolution will have significant implications for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as the world watches and waits to see if the US will shift its stance in this critical moment.