UN adopts aid proposal to enter Gaza, US abstains
The humanitarian condition in the besieged Gaza Strip is getting worse every day, with nearly 2 million people internally displaced and widespread starvation as Human Rights Watch reported, but a deal for a permanent ceasefire still seems to be unrealistic.
On December 22, the UN Security Council approved a resolution calling to boost more humanitarian aid to Gaza after stopping a short call for a ceasefire, after a week of intense negotiations to avoid a United States veto, reported Reuters.
READ: US vetos UN resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza
“We believe that the resolution begins to unblock life-saving aid, whose denial has condemned more than half a million people in Gaza to famine,” UAE UN Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh told the council after the vote.
However, the US abstained from the 15-member council to adopt the resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates.
Washington abstained after the speech regarding Israeli aggression on Gaza and humanitarian aid changed. This move let the vote pass through.
The US has always supported Israel’s “right to defend itself”. However, in the last weeks, they became more critical of the Israeli way of conducting this offensive as it led to the current devastated Gazan humanitarian condition. For this reason, it started to propose to its ally to reduce the damages, although it continues to publicly support it.
The adopted Security Council resolution “calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities”. However, the initial draft had called for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Palestinian enclave, according to Reuters.
The remaining council members voted for the resolution except for Russia which also abstained, as it favored the initial draft, The Arab Weekly and Reuters reported.
READ: Israel’s Gaza massacre results in dwindling ties with Russia
The US and Israel oppose a ceasefire, believing it would only benefit Hamas. However, the US supports “pauses” to protect civilians and free Israeli hostages.
The Palestinian Resistance refuses any deal for hostages’ exchange without a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire.
So far, Israel refused every Palestinian proposal for a permanent ceasefire and persists in demanding the release of Israeli hostages, The Arab Weekly reported.
“The UN’s focus only on aid mechanisms to Gaza is unnecessary and disconnected from reality – Israel is already allowing aid deliveries at the required scale,” Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said.
Reuters also reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen affirmed that they will “continue the war until all hostages are released and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is destroyed”.
Reuters/ The Arab Weekly
