NEW DELHI: The United Nations Security Council took a historic vote on Monday, the first of its kind since the current hostilities, demanding a "immediate ceasefire" in the Gaza conflict. Israel voiced its severe dissatisfaction, especially after the resolution passed since the US, its closest friend historically, chose not to vote.
The resolution’s execution is crucial, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted on social media site X, saying that “Failure would be unforgivable.” Following the resolution’s passing, Israel canceled a delegation trip to Washington that was supposed to address concerns about possible military action in Gaza’s Rafah.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said that the US abstention will harm Israel’s military operations and the campaign to free the captives. It was seen as “a clear retreat” by his office from the US’s long-standing supporting position.
The United States had invited a group to Washington to discuss concerns about a proposed Israeli invasion of Rafah, in populous southern Gaza, but Israel canceled the meeting as soon as the resolution passed.
After Israel abruptly withdrew its delegation from Washington, the White House declared itself “disappointed” and “perplexed”. Still, the State Department has pledged to “find other ways to make our concerns known” about the planned military operation in Rafah by Israel.
Despite recently taking a more assertive position toward Israel, the US insisted that its abstention did not represent a change in policy. The resolution, which was ratified by the other 14 members of the Security Council unanimously, asks for a ceasefire to be observed throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It also asks for the release of captives held by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, without attaching any conditions to the truce.
Read this Also⬇️
An Oscar-winning documentary depicts Navalny’s life and eventual demise.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on starting a ground offensive in Rafah, a vital city along Gaza’s southern border that is home to a sizable section of the enclave’s population, has caused a great deal of rift.
Both sides have suffered heavy losses in the fight, which was started by Hamas’s strike on October 7. Israel has reported about 1,160 deaths in the conflict, most of them civilians, while the health ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip has reported 32,333 Palestinian dead, most of them women and children.
Following the resolution passed by the Security Council, Hamas declared that it was willing to discuss the release of hostages in return for Palestinian detainees held in Israel. The European Union president Ursula von der Leyen, the Palestinian Authority, and Sufyan Qudah, the spokesman for Jordan’s foreign ministry, have all hailed
The decision was made in the midst of growing hostilities between the US and Israel, mainly over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and differences of opinion about the feasibility of a ground operation in Rafah. Israel decided to postpone the delegation’s trip to Washington, but the US State Department promised to express its concerns in a different way.
