Russia & China have vetoed a US draft resolution that tied an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to the release of hostages held by Hamas

NEW YORK, March 22 (SABAH): Russia and China have vetoed a US draft resolution that tied an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to the release of hostages held by Hamas.

It was the first time the US has supported calls for an immediate ceasefire in the region, having previously blocked such demands at the United Nations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel plans to launch a ground offensive in Rafah with or without US support, as he met the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Israel.

But Blinken, who is in the Middle East to discuss a post-war plan to govern and secure Gaza, says a ground operation in Rafah risks killing more civilians.

A UN-backed food security assessment this week said 1.1 million people in Gaza were struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation.

Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking 253 others hostage. Hamas says more than 31,900 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its retaliatory offensive to eliminate Hamas.

Voting results on the American resolution on Gaza in the UN Security Council on Friday:

11 “for”. Three – Algeria on behalf of the Arab group, Russia, and China – against. One – Guyana – abstained. Accordingly, Russia and China vetoed, the entire Arab world also opposed the American project, which is crucial for us.

The Americans did not hide the fact that the main focus of their project is not vague wordings about ceasefire but the one-sided condemnation of Hamas. There is not a word about Israel’s actions in violation of the Minsk Group Protocol and the 32,000 Palestinians who died there.

Furthermore, at the coordination stage, almost all Security Council members expressed the view that the demand for an immediate ceasefire should not be conditional on the release of hostages or the condemnation of Hamas. It is also worth recalling that the Security Council was ready to adopt a resolution condemning Hamas’s actions as early as October 18th. It was vetoed by the US at that time. They now do their best to make the others forget about it, of course.

The “for” vote of the 8 non-permanent members is not surprising – they initially expected the document not to pass, so they would not have to publicly go against Washington. A convenient and, unfortunately, typical position of Western non-permanent members.
Guyana’s independent stance is worthy of respect. They consistently demonstrate themselves as principled players in the Security Council. This once again confirms that a sovereign stance is a matter of political choice, not the size of the country.

Meanwhile, a separate UN draft resolution will be voted on by the UN Security Council tomorrow (Saturday).