<\/p>\n
20 November 2024<\/p>\n
9790th Meeting (AM)<\/p>\n
The Security Council today failed to adopt a text, put forward by its 10\u00a0elected members, that called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and demanded the release of all hostages, on account of a negative vote cast by a permanent member.<\/p>\n
Introducing the draft resolution, the representative of Guyana said the text was prompted by the Council\u2019s deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and a need for an urgent response.\u00a0 She observed that the release of hostages is one of the most important provisions of the text.\u00a0 Spotlighting broad consensus, she noted that, while several divergent positions have found a balance in the text, the dominant concern has been to provide a legally binding obligation to end the hostilities.<\/p>\n
Although the vote that followed garnered support for the resolution from 14\u00a0Council members, the text was not adopted due to a veto cast by the United States.<\/p>\n
If adopted, the resolution would have demanded Gaza\u2019s civilian population be given access to basic services, while it would have rejected any effort to starve Palestinians and would have demanded humanitarian assistance at scale.\u00a0 Further, it would have also demanded the release of hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and the return of Palestinian civilians to all areas in Gaza, as it would have also underscored that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) remains a backbone of humanitarian response.<\/p>\n
However, the representative of the United States said that \u201cthis resolution would have sent a dangerous message to Hamas:\u00a0 there is no need to come back to the negotiating table\u201d, recalling that the group has rejected \u201cdeal after deal after deal\u201d.\u00a0 More so, Washington, D.C. could not support the unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages.\u00a0 \u201cWe heard that some desired the US veto rather than a consensus product,\u201d he observed, emphasizing that his Government has done more than any other country to improve the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe draft resolution this Council failed to adopt today sought only to break its deafening silence,\u201d stressed Algeria\u2019s delegate, noting that the text, although far from ideal, represented a \u201cbare minimum that should have united us\u201d.\u00a0 Instead, today\u2019s message to Israel is that \u201cyou may continue your genocide\u201d and \u201cin this Chamber, you enjoy immunity\u201d, he said, adding that the message to Palestinians is also clear:\u00a0 \u201cWhile the overwhelming majority of the world stands in solidarity with your plight, tragically, others remain indifferent to your suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n
The representative of the Russian Federation stated:\u00a0 \u201cWe will not allow the United States to muzzle the voice of the Council and continue emboldening further merciless operations by Israel\u201d, calling Washington, D.C.\u2019s \u201ccold and cynical\u201d opposition to saving lives \u2014 \u201cinhumane\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cYou today have definitively shown that you are fully responsible for the death of tens of thousands of innocent civilians,\u201d he continued, observing that, if adopted, the resolution would have sent a clear signal to the parties to end violence and move to a diplomatic settlement.<\/p>\n
In the same vein, China\u2019s delegate said that the United States\u2019 long use of the veto has dashed the hope of people of Gaza of survival.\u00a0 Noting that \u201cso-called\u201d diplomatic negotiations \u2014 conducted by the United States \u2014 have seen no progress, he observed that its continued weapons supply has become a decisive factor in the war lasting so long.\u00a0 \u201cInsistence on setting a precondition to ceasefire is tantamount to giving a green light to continuing war\u201d, he said, stating that Israel\u2019s military operation has long exceeded the scope of rescuing hostages.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the representative of Ecuador\u00a0pointed out that, for the second time in 2024, the 10\u00a0elected Council members \u201caccepted the challenge\u201d of drafting a text that would be acceptable to all the organ\u2019s members and would allow it to fulfil its responsibilities \u201cin the face of a pressing situation\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cFourteen votes in favour are a clear indication that the draft resolution put forward was \u2018timely and appropriate\u2019\u201d, he stated.\u00a0Adding to that France\u2019s delegate stated that \u201cinternational humanitarian law is being trampled underfoot\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an entire generation of children in Gaza we are failing,\u201d lamented Slovenia\u2019s delegate, joined by the representatives of the Republic of Korea and Malta in regretting the non-adoption of the text.\u00a0 Japan\u2019s representative added that without collective action, \u201cchildren in Gaza \u2014 the future of Gaza \u2014 will continue to pay the high price of this conflict\u201d.\u00a0For his part, Sierra Leone\u2019s delegate emphasized that, if adopted, the text\u00a0would have allowed the Council to \u201cunite its strength to save humanity from destruction\u201d.<\/p>\n
Offering a different perspective, the speaker for Switzerland underscored that Israel, as an occupying Power, has a duty to ensure that the basic needs in the occupied Palestinian territories are met.\u00a0 \u201cIsrael must take urgent action to alleviate this crisis,\u201d stressed the United Kingdom\u2019s delegate, Council President for November, speaking in her national capacity.\u00a0Voicing regret that consensus was not reached, she affirmed her country\u2019s unwavering commitment to realize the vision of the text.<\/p>\n
However, the representative of Israel\u00a0said that today\u2019s resolution was not a path to peace \u2014 \u201cit was a road map to more terror, more suffering and more bloodshed\u201d.\u00a0\u201cMany of you attempted to pass this injustice,\u201d he added, thanking the United States for using its veto and refusing to abandon the hostages and their families.\u00a0 Had the text passed, the Council would have sent a message to the world that terrorists can act with impunity and would have \u201cvalidated their [Hamas] strategy of using human shields, targeting civilians and tormenting hostages in their terror dungeons\u201d.<\/p>\n
Further, \u201cit would have set a horrifying precedent that terrorism pays\u201d, he said \u2014 \u201cthat violence is met not with condemnation, but with concessions\u201d.\u00a0 The Council has already adopted four\u00a0resolutions demanding the release of hostages, and Hamas has ignored them all.\u00a0 While the loss of civilian life in Gaza is a tragedy, he stressed that \u201cit is a tragedy authored by Hamas\u201d.\u00a0 He concluded:\u00a0 \u201cIf Hamas were to release the hostages and surrender their weapons, not one more shot would need to be fired; but, until that day comes, Israel will do whatever it takes to protect its people and bring our loved ones home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world should not grow accustomed to the death of Palestinians,\u201d stressed the observer of the State of Palestine, adding: \u201cMaybe \u2014 for some \u2014 we have the wrong nationality, the wrong faith, the wrong skin colour; but we are humans, and we should be treated as such.\u201d\u00a0 Although a ceasefire \u201cdoesn\u2019t resolve everything, but it is the first step to resolving anything\u201d, he said.\u00a0 Questioning whether international law applies differently to Israel than to the rest of the world, he asked:\u00a0 \u201cWhat the hell does Israel need to do more for this Council to act under Chapter VII?\u201d\u00a0 The world is witnessing an attempt to annihilate a nation, and yet the very tools designed to respond to such a situation are not being used.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis self-inflicted powerlessness has to stop,\u201d he urged.\u00a0 The message that would have been sent by today\u2019s resolution \u2014 trying to save lives \u2014 was not a dangerous one; rather, its veto is a dangerous message to Israel that it can continue executing its plans.\u00a0 \u201cAnd the messages we send do matter, and that is the wrong message at the worst possible time,\u201d he stressed.\u00a0 Adding that, one\u00a0day, people will examine the records of these meetings and wonder how a genocide known to the whole world was able to continue for so long, he stated:\u00a0 \u201cIt is because we are allowed to speak about the rules, but not to enforce them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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