The UN Security Council (UNSC) could hold a vote next week on a resolution seeking an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza, multiple agencies reported on Sunday.
This comes after Algeria launched discussions on a new draft after the International Court of Justice ruled in late January that Israel must do all it can to prevent genocidal acts in its war in Gaza. The latest version of the text “demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be respected by all parties,” according to AFP.
It also “rejects forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population,” and it “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to continue the offensive until “total victory” over Hamas and to expand it to Gaza’s southernmost town of Rafah. Algeria requested a UNSC vote on Tuesday. However, Washington has signalled it is likely to veto the measure.
US President Joe Biden is working with Netanyahu and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar on a hostage deal that would bring about six weeks of a “prolonged pause in fighting,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement on Algeria’s proposed draft. “The United States does not support action on this draft resolution. Should it come up for a vote as drafted, it will not be adopted,” Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement on Saturday.
Like previous texts opposed by Israel and the United States, the new text does not condemn the unprecedented attack by Hamas. Earlier this month, the US envoy said that Algeria’s latest initiative risked derailing the negotiations. “We believe that it is high time now for the Security Council to decide on a humanitarian ceasefire resolution,” Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour said recently, adding there is “massive support” for the text’s elements among council members.
The Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel. Israel responded by launching a relentless assault on Gaza that has killed at least 28,858 people, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. Back in October and December, despite pressure over the Gaza humanitarian crisis, Washington vetoed texts calling for a ceasefire. The Security Council has adopted just two resolutions on Gaza since October 7, including one calling for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
(With agency inputs)
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