2023-12-22 01:06:17
After fundamental changes in a compromise draft for a Gaza resolution in the UN Security Council, a vote has been postponed again. Several countries need to consult with their governments, it said. In closed-door discussions, some Council members expressed dissatisfaction with the watered-down text on increasing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The text calls on Israel to “immediately allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.” The conditions must also be created for a sustainable cessation of violence.
On the controversial question of how the goods should be checked, the council members found a compromise: the checks should be carried out by a newly appointed UN coordinator. This should also ensure the acceleration of international aid in cooperation with all actors.
Other passages were deleted due to pressure from the USA: A paragraph that condemns “all violations of international humanitarian law, including all indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects” is no longer found in the resolution. The previously requested immediate suspension of violence to enable aid deliveries is also missing. The vote had been postponed several times because of a threatened US veto. After the negotiators made major concessions, the US ambassador to the UN announced that she would forego a veto in a vote. An acceptance requires at least nine yes votes from the 15 members. The veto powers USA, China, Russia, Great Britain or France cannot vote “no”.
As a result of Israel’s warfare over the past ten weeks, the humanitarian situation for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip is dramatic. Almost all people in the Gaza Strip are suffering from hunger or displacement; according to the UN, more aid deliveries are urgently needed. Israel attacked the Gaza Strip after the horrific terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on October 7th.
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