United Nations, Oct 16 (EFE).- The United Nations Security Council on Monday night rejected a resolution put forward by Russia for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan (bottom) prepares his statement as Ambassador Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting about the war between Israel and Hamas at United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 16 October 2023. EFE/EPA/EDUARDO MUNOZ
It was the first failed attempt to reach a consensus on a resolution by the international community to stop the war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas since it began on Oct. 7.
The draft resolution received five votes in favor (including China), far from the nine necessary. The three Western countries with veto rights (United States, United Kingdom and France) plus Japan voted against, while six countries abstained.
Twenty-five countries had agreed to co-sponsor the Russian text, including several Arab and Muslim states such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and United Kingdom Ambassador Barbara Woodward mainly objected to the text not explicitly mentioning Hamas in its condemnation of “attacks on civilians.”
Thomas-Greenfield said that “by failing to condemn Hamas, Russia’s given cover to a terrorist group that brutalizes innocent civilians. It is outrageous. It is hypocritical, and it is indefensible.”
Woodward said “we cannot support a resolution which fails to condemn Hamas’ terror attacks.”
The text was presented by Russia on Friday and was circulating among the 15 members throughout the weekend.
Members of the Security Council vote on a resolution put forward by Russia during a United Nations Security Council meeting about the war between Israel and Hamas at United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 16 October 2023. EFE/EPA/EDUARDO MUNOZ
In parallel, Brazil has presented another text that does condemn Hamas, which will be voted on in another special session on Tuesday.
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya defended his resolution, saying it was a “purely humanitarian” text that had the support of Arab countries, and assured that if it was rejected it was solely due to geopolitical calculations.
He added that it was incomprehensible that the UNSC would waste even more time in the face of a conflict that is inflaming the entire region and has already left thousands dead in a single week.
And so, once again the disunity of the council in the face of the most serious events that are shaking the world has been revealed, a division where the West and its allies are positioned on the one hand and Russia and China on the other, with a large part of Asia, Africa and Latin America sitting on the sidelines. EFE
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