US blocks Gaza ceasefire demand at Security Council for third time
Maureen Clare Murphy Rights and Accountability 21 February 2024
An injured child at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an attack in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 20 February.
Omar Ashtawy APA imagesThe US vetoed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday. Thirteen states voted in favor of the Algerian initiative while the UK abstained.
It was the third time that Washington exercised its veto at the Security Council in the past four months in order to prolong Israelâs military campaign in Gaza, which the International Court of Justice determined in an interim ruling may plausibly constitute a genocide.
That UN tribunal, also known as the World Court, is currently holding oral hearings on the legal consequences of Israelâs prolonged military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The UN General Assembly has voted by a large majority in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza on two occasions. Those adopted resolutions are not legally binding but testify to the overwhelming global support for a ceasefire and the isolation of the US, which is widely viewed as a full partner to the death and destruction in Gaza.
While it vetoed the draft resolution on Tuesday, the US is pushing its own initiative at the Security Council that would link a temporary ceasefire to the release of Israelis and foreign nationals held in Gaza since 7 October.
âViolence and instabilityâ
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, argued that a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire would âput sensitive negotiations in jeopardy,â referring to between Israel, the US, Qatar and Egypt aimed at securing the release of the remaining Israelis and foreign nationals held in Gaza since 7 October.
According to Reuters, Washington âplans to allow time for negotiations and will not rush to a voteâ on its draft resolution.
In the meantime, the US veto pushes âthe situation in Gaza into a more dangerous one,â Chinaâs ambassador said on Tuesday, accusing Washington of stifling an overwhelming consensus at the Security Council.
The longer the hostilities are prolonged in Gaza, the UN secretary-general has warned, the greater the risk that the wider region will become engulfed in war.
âThe wrong decisions today will have a cost on our region and our world tomorrow,â Algeriaâs ambassador to the UN said following Tuesdayâs vote.
âAnd this cost will be violence and instability,â he added.
It will also cost additional lives, with the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza on Tuesday reporting 29,195 fatalities since 7 October â more than 100 in the past 24 hours alone â and more than 67,000 injuries. Thousands more are missing and feared dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Palestinians in Gaza are also succumbing to disease and hunger resulting from Israelâs total siege on the territory and the destruction of health and sanitation infrastructure. One in six children under the age of two in Gazaâs north are acutely malnourished, according to a recent study, and âthe situation is likely to be even graver today,â three UN agencies said on Monday.
A report by independent researchers in the US and UK projects that even if hostilities ended now, there would be some 8,000 excess deaths in Gaza over the next six months due to traumatic injuries, malnutrition, infectious disease and lack of access to medical care.
US warns against Rafah offensive
The counter-resolution circulated by the US on Monday condemns the 7 October raid by Hamas and emphasizes its designation as a terrorist organization by ânumerous member states.â
The US draft resolution also states that âa major ground offensive into Rafahâ would harm and displace civilians, âincluding potentially into neighboring countries, which would have serious implications for regional peace and security.â
The text âunderscores that such a major ground offensive should not proceed under current circumstances.â
US President Joe Biden phoned Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, twice in recent days âto warn him against launching a military operation in Rafah without a credible plan to ensure the safety of civilians,â according to Reuters.
The Biden administration has said that despite its professed opposition to an incursion into Rafah, where more than one million displaced Palestinians are now concentrated, it says that it would not impose any material consequences on Israel if it moves forward.
Rafah
Israel is planning to continue its high-intensity war in Gaza for another six to eight weeks, officials told Reuters, after which it would âshift to a lower-intensity phase of targeted airstrikes and special forces operations.â
Indicating that Israelâs planning isnât as cohesive as was suggested by Reuters, Benny Gantz, the opposition leader and member of Israelâs war cabinet, said on Sunday that fighting will begin in Rafah in a few weeks if âthe hostages are not home.â
He added that âHamas has a choice. They can surrender, release the hostages and the civilians of Gaza can celebrate the feast of Ramadan.â
Netanyahu, keen to prolong the military offensive, said on Tuesday that âwe are not willing to pay any priceâ to secure the release of the some 130 remaining captives in Gaza, most of whom are believed to still be alive.
The Israeli prime ministerâs statement on Tuesday echoed comments made by Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister, prioritizing destroying Hamas over bringing back the captives.
Earlier this month, Netanyhau rejected a proposal offered by Hamas for a prisoner exchange and months-long truce, calling it âdelusionalâ and vowing âtotal victoryâ in Gaza.
Protests
Netanyahu quitting the talks provoked renewed protests by the family members of people still held captive in Gaza, who have blocked highways and lit fires as they demand the return of their loved ones while they are still alive.
During a week-long truce in late November, more than 100 captives were freed in exchange for dozens of Palestinian women and children held by Israel.
Last week, two Israeli-Argentine men who the Israeli military claimed to have rescued in a raid in Gaza days earlier urged Netanyahu to reach another agreement with Hamas, saying not everyone could be brought back âin heroic operations.â
âOnly through a deal can they be returned,â they said in a joint statement along with other family members who were released in November.
Last week, Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas, said that there have been many losses of its captives and those who remain alive are in âextremely difficult conditions.â
Qatar said on Tuesday that Hamas confirmed that it had received and begun delivering medicines for the captives under a deal brokered by the Gulf monarchy and France.
Qatarâs foreign minister said that the agreement âincludes the entry of the medicines and shipment of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, especially in the most affected and damaged areas.â
On Saturday, Israel also saw its largest anti-government protests since 7 October.
Whether the mounting pressure will halt Israelâs momentum towards a catastrophic invasion of Rafah remains to be seen.
Al Mezan, a Palestinian human rights group based in Gaza, said that âmere statements wonât stop the invasion of Rafah,â which even Biden administration spokespersons have acknowledged would be a âdisaster.â
âWhatâs needed are concrete actions: States must halt military support to Israel, impose sanctions per international lawâ and the International Criminal Court âmust issue arrest warrants for all members of the Israeli war cabinet,â Al Mezan stated.
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