NEW YORK: The United States has announced that it has requested a UN Security Council vote on its draft resolution supporting a plan for an “immediate truce with the release of hostages” between Hamas and Israel.
According to diplomatic sources, the vote is planned for Monday, but has not yet been confirmed by South Korea, which holds the Council presidency for the month of June.
“Today, the US called for the UNSC to move toward a vote… supporting the proposal on the table,” said Nate Evans, spokesman for the US delegation, without specifying a vote date. Evans said that the UNSC members should not let this chance pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this agreement.
The US, a staunch ally of Israel, has been widely criticized for having stopped several UN draft resolutions calling for a truce in the Gaza Strip. US President Joe Biden on May 31 initiated a new push for a truce and hostage release agreement, separate from the UN.
Under the proposal, Israel would withdraw from Gaza and Hamas would free captives. The truce would last an initial six weeks, with it extended as negotiators seek a permanent end to hostilities in the region.
The US is placing primary responsibility for accepting the proposal on Hamas, specifically calling on the group to accept the document in the latest version of the draft text.
According to AFP, the draft resolution “calls upon Hamas to also accept it, and asks both sides to fully execute its terms without delay and without condition.” This includes a first phase with an “immediate, full, and complete truce,” release of captives taken by Hamas, and “exchange of Palestinian detainees” plus “withdrawal of Israeli troops from the populated areas in Gaza.”
This includes the “safe and effective distribution of humanitarian help at scale across Gaza to all Palestinian civilians who need it.”
Diplomatic sources suggests that several Security Council members hinted their reservations on two previous versions of the text, in particular Algeria and Russia which wields a veto.
Since the unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7 against Israel and Israel’s subsequent attack, the UNSC has struggled to speak with one voice.
After two resolutions mainly focused on humanitarian assistance, the UNSC finally at the end of March successfully demanded an “immediate truce” for the duration of Ramadan, which was achieved with the US abstaining from the vote.
After the International Court of Justice’s verdict at the end of May ordering Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, Algeria circulated a draft resolution demanding an immediate truce and, more specifically, a halt to the Rafah offensive.
The US, however, stated such a text was not helpful, saying that it instead favored talks on the ground to achieve a truce. Gaza Health Ministry said that Israel’s offensive has killed more than 37,084 people in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
