The UN Security Council has failed to adopt a Russian draft resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Russia, China, Gabon, Mozambique and the United Arab Emirates voted in favor of the resolution, while the United States, Britain, France and Japan voted against, while the rest of the countries Brazil, Malta, Albania, Switzerland, Ecuador and Ghana abstained.
The bill thus failed to obtain the required minimum of 9 votes in the 15-member council.
Russia proposed the one-page draft text on Friday and called for the release of hostages, humanitarian access and the safe evacuation of civilians in need.
The text condemned violence against civilians and all terrorist acts without naming any party.
Following the vote, Russian Security Council Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that his country “regret” that the Council has been “held hostage” to the “selfishness” of Western delegations.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Russian draft resolution was put forward without any consultations and without referring to Hamas, which she accused is the party that is actually causing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
For her part, British Ambassador to the Security Council Barbara Woodward said that her country cannot support a resolution that does not condemn the “terrorist acts of Hamas.”
In his speech, Chinese delegate Zhang Zhong called for respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, and called on Israel to stop what he described as “collective punishment” of the residents of the Gaza Strip.
For his part, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said that what is happening in Gaza is not a military operation, but an attack and massacres against innocent civilians, and pointed out that Israel has killed entire families in the Strip.
Mansour added that Gaza’s health system had completely collapsed due to Israeli raids and the blockade imposed on Gazans.
The Security Council’s Arab Group said in a statement that Israel’s military actions in Gaza “do not respect minimum standards of human rights.”
For the 11th consecutive day, heavy Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues, killing more than 2800, Palestinians, in addition to over 10 thousand people injured, destroyed thousands of homes and displacing more than a million people.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
