US call for ceasefire in Gaza vetoed by Russia, China

The US attempt to get the UN Security Council to call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip failed on Friday, after Russia and China vetoed the US resolution which contained some of Washington's strongest remarks since the start of the war.

The resolution reflects the Biden administration's growing frustration with both the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel's conduct in a war that has killed an estimated 30,000 people and reduced much of the enclave to rubble . The administration has pressured Israel not to attack the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where more than a million civilians have sought refuge, and to allow more aid to enter the territory.

But international frictions, notably linked to Washington's previous use of its veto power in the Security Council and its refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire, doomed the resolution to failure. Eleven members voted in favor of the resolution, but permanent members Russia and China voted against, as did Algeria. Guyana abstained.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, traveling to Israel on Friday, expressed disappointment at the resolution's failure.

“I think we were trying to show the international community that there is an urgent need for a ceasefire linked to the release of the hostages, something that everyone, including the countries that vetoed the resolution, should have been able to support,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his position that, despite growing international criticism, his country's ground forces would launch an offensive on Rafah to eliminate Hamas, the group that led the October 7 assault that precipitated the Israeli invasion of Gaza. The Biden administration has repeatedly said that an incursion into Rafah, located on the border with Egypt, would cause heavy civilian casualties and hamper the delivery of aid.

We have no way to defeat Hamas without going to Rafah and eliminating the rest of the battalions there, Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement Friday after meeting Mr. Blinken in Tel Aviv. And I told him that I hope we do it with the support of the United States. But if we have to, we'll do it alone.

The US resolution states that the Security Council determines the imperative for an immediate and lasting ceasefire. Representatives from the three breakaway countries and Guyana said the country had not gone far enough in demanding or enforcing a ceasefire.

Amar Bendjama, Algeria's ambassador to the United Nations, said the measure's reference to reducing harm to civilians during ongoing and future operations in Gaza implied authorization for continued bloodshed.

The text presented today does not convey a clear message of peace, said Mr. Bendjama.

After the vote, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield defended the resolution that condemned Hamas, saying it was presented in good faith after consulting with all Council members and after several rounds of modifications.

She said Russia and China vetoed the resolution for two reasons: they refused to condemn Hamas and they simply did not want to vote for a US-drafted resolution because they would rather see us fail. rather than seeing this Council succeed.

Whether or not Russia and China were motivated by a desire to thwart or embarrass the United States, it is clear that their relations with Washington are as hostile as they have been in decades, with conflicts over a multitude of issues, including the Russian invasion of the United States. Ukraine and China are considering Taiwan, economic sanctions and tariffs. In 2022, Russia vetoed two Security Council resolutions condemning its conduct in Ukraine.

Thomas-Greenfield said the US plan would have enabled the Security Council to support diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate and lasting ceasefire as part of an agreement leading to the release of all hostages and allowing the arrival of much more humanitarian aid. Gaza.

Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, denounced the US-backed measure before the vote, calling it a hypocritical move and a watered-down formulation of a ceasefire.

To save the lives of peaceful Palestinians, this is not enough, he said. The draft, he claimed, was written with American political interests in mind, to play with voters, to throw them a bone.

He urged Council members to vote against the resolution, saying: “We cannot allow the Security Council to become an instrument of Washington's destructive policy in the Middle East.

The United States had vetoed three previous resolutions demanding an end to fighting in Gaza, arguing that the measures could disrupt hostage negotiations and staunchly defending Israel's right to defend itself after the Israeli attack. Hamas on October 7. In the Council's votes, the United States was the only one to oppose the resolutions. Russia and Britain abstained in the first vote, in October, and Britain abstained in votes in December and February.

But as the death toll rises in Gaza and hunger and disease worsens across the territory, President Biden and other U.S. officials have become increasingly critical of Mr. Netanyahu and of his handling of the war, calling on him to provide more aid. Gaza and do more to protect civilians.

After meeting with Mr. Netanyahu and members of his war cabinet on Friday, Mr. Blinken told a news conference that an immediate ceasefire would allow the release of hostages and an increase in aid. humanitarian to alleviate acute suffering between territories. millions of civilians.

Mr. Blinken, concluding his sixth trip to the Middle East since the start of the war, warned that a major ground military operation in Rafah was unlikely to guarantee Israel's long-term security.

This risks further isolating Israel around the world and jeopardizing its long-term security and standing, he said, adding that US officials look forward to meeting with Israeli officials in Washington next week to discuss a different way to achieve these goals.

Mr. Netanyahu said in his statement that Israel recognized the need to protect civilians and provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza, but was determined to continue with the planned incursion.

Benny Gantz, Mr. Netanyahu's main political rival, appeared to support this position, saying in a statement that Israel must dismantle Hamas's military infrastructure, including in Rafah. Mr. Gantz, an opposition leader who crossed parliamentary barriers to join the war cabinet, thanked Mr. Blinken for his support for Israel and the deep American commitment to its security.

U.S. officials said they believed no Israeli military operation on Rafah was imminent, giving the United States time to either help cement a hostage deal that would put in place a ceasefire. -temporary fire, or to propose other options to the Israelis during next week's meetings. .

Israel is not yet ready to push its forces toward Rafah, which will be a difficult ground operation to carry out, they said.

As the secretary of state made the final leg of a multi-stop tour of the Middle East, William J. Burns, the director of the CIA, was traveling to Qatar to participate in negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas which would mark the start of a ceasefire of limited duration. shootings and an exchange of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel for Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters in Cairo on Thursday, Blinken said the gaps between Hamas and Israel's negotiating positions were narrowing, but reaching an agreement would be difficult.

Julian E. Barnes contributed reporting.

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