UN Security Council Failure: Israel-Hamas War Resolution Votes and International Impasse

2023-10-26 10:26:00

The UN Security Council has once once more failed to pass a resolution on the war between Israel and the militant Islamist Hamas. Two competing proposals from the United States and Russia failed in votes on Wednesday.

The US resolution would have affirmed Israel’s right to self-defense, called for compliance with international laws – especially the protection of civilians – and called for “humanitarian pauses” in order to be able to deliver urgently needed aid to the Gaza Strip. In the vote in the 15-member Security Council, ten countries voted in favor, three once morest, and two abstained. The resolution was not adopted because both Russia and China vetoed it.

The Russian resolution called for an immediate “humanitarian ceasefire” and would have unequivocally condemned Hamas’ October 7 attacks in Israel and “indiscriminate attacks” on civilians and civilian objects in the Gaza Strip. The vote resulted in four yes votes, two no votes and nine abstentions. This resolution was not adopted because it failed to meet the required minimum number of nine yes votes.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of submitting its draft text “with bad intentions”. (archive image)

AFP/Bryan R. Smith

After a Russian and a Brazilian proposal were rejected last week, the body responsible for maintaining international peace and security according to the UN Charter appears divided and paralyzed. Maltese UN Ambassador Vanessa Frazier said before the vote that if both resolutions failed, she would try to draft a compromise resolution.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of submitting its draft text without prior consultation and “with bad intentions”. Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya called the US draft a “politicized” proposal aimed at supporting Israel. (DPA)

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