The UN Security Council passed on Monday morning a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan and calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Why it matters: This is the first resolution demanding a ceasefire to pass at the council after four previous failures. The U.S. abstained rather than using its veto. All other members voted in favor.
Between the lines: The most recent failure was on Friday, when China and Russia vetoed a U.S. proposal. The dispute was over the U.S. insistence on linking the ceasefire call to a hostage deal and condemnation of Hamas.
The U.S. planned to veto any resolution that called for a ceasefire without mentioning the hostages.
The U.S. did not veto Monday’s resolution because it links the two issues, according to one of the diplomats, though the language is different than the resolution the U.S. put forward.
The U.S. mission to the UN declined to comment.
Zoom in: The resolution, obtained by Axios prior to passage, was tabled by the non-permanent members of the security council: Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South Korea and Switzerland.
It stresses that all parties must comply with their obligations under international law, “deplores” all attacks against civilians and “all acts of terrorism,” and notes that it is illegal to take hostages under international law.
The authors also express deep concern “about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” and calls for more efforts to expand humanitarian aid and protect civilians.
The resolution “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
The latest: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that if the U.S. did not veto a resolution calling for a ceasefire without conditioning it on the release of hostages, he would cancel planned meetings in Washington this week on Rafah.
President Biden invited an Israeli delegation to discuss alternatives to a ground invasion of the city, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering.
Prior to the vote, senior Israeli official told reporters Netanyahu objected to having two separate resolutions, one calling for a ceasefire and another calling for the release of the hostages.
Yes, but: UN sources tell Axios they have no idea what the Israeli side is talking about, as the resolution does link the two issues.
Axios
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