The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on Wednesday on a resolution which “demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties.”
The resolution, drafted by the 10 elected members of the council, known as the E10, is the first Gaza-focused resolution to be considered by the council since U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term in January.
JNS reported on Sunday that the United States did not engage substantively in the document’s negotiating process.
An American diplomatic source familiar with the matter told JNS that Washington prefers to focus on ongoing Israel-Hamas negotiations, rather than to try to force a solution on Israel through the United Nations, which has regularly proven unsuccessful.
“This resolution doesn’t advance humanitarian relief. It undermines it,” Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, will tell the council on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the vote, according to the Israeli mission. “It ignores a working system in favor of political agendas. It ignores the one party still endangering civilians in Gaza: Hamas, the group that hijacks trucks and stockpiles the aid to their benefit.”
The resolution only “recalls” previous council demands for the immediate release of the hostages still held in Gaza, but does not tie their release to the ceasefire conditions.
It also demands the “immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions” of aid going into Gaza, as well as unhindered delivery.
“If you care about the people of Gaza, then stop protecting those who started this war and continue to prolong it. If you care about aid, then help ensure it reaches civilians and not terrorists,” said Danon.
The Trump administration appears, like its predecessor, to be isolated in its opposition to such resolutions.
Save one abstention, the Biden administration vetoed every other Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, or applied enough pressure to kill drafts, until June 2024, when, with Israeli approval, it voted in favor of a resolution to implement a three-phase ceasefire, which was never carried out.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations would not comment on its intentions regarding Wednesday’s vote. It was also unclear whether the E10 will carry forward with a vote if the U.S. signals it intends to use its veto power as a permanent member of the council.
Should the resolution fail, the Security Council could turn to the General Assembly for action under its Uniting for Peace mechanism.
