US Floats UNSC Resolution for Interim Cease-fire ‘As Soon as Practicable’

February 20, 2024

by: Mike Wagenheim ~ JNS

Tuesday, 20 February 2024 | After threatening to veto a United Nations [UN] Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, the US is floating a cease-fire draft of its own, albeit with watered-down terms.

Washington’s proposed text includes “support for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza as soon as practicable,” in line with language that US President Joe Biden has used in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US has yielded its veto power, as one of five permanent UN Security Council members, to thwart any imposition of a cease-fire—humanitarian or otherwise—claiming that ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas via intermediaries ought to take precedence.

That stance has isolated Washington on the council, though the UK has sometimes joined it.

The new US draft resolution calls for the “lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale” and demands that “all parties to the conflict cooperate with the UN’s appointed humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator to facilitate the unimpeded flow of aid.”

The draft also rejects the creation of any security buffer zone in the Gaza Strip and condemns calls by Israeli government ministers to resettle Gaza or relocate the population there.

Additionally, the draft text “determines that under current circumstances, a major ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement, including potentially into neighboring countries.”

The Israeli government and military have announced plans to launch a major operation in Rafah to root out Hamas’s last remaining stronghold in Gaza.

Critics see Washington’s proposed language regarding a temporary cease-fire as ineffectual and open to wide interpretation as to whether such a halt in hostilities would be “practicable.”

It is unclear whether the draft resolution has sufficient support to pass the 15-member council or whether Washington would try to force a vote.

On Tuesday, the Security Council is set to vote on an Algeria-drafted resolution that demands an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.

Multiple members of the US delegation to the UN have stated that they will not allow Algeria’s resolution to pass.

Washington has already vetoed two council resolutions since Hamas’s October 7 massacre. It also abstained twice, permitting the adoption of resolutions aimed at boosting humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Posted on February 20, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on February 19, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Filip Filipovic/Pixabay/jns.org