The United States is circulating a counter UN Security Council resolution that would support a temporary ceasefire in Gaza after threatening to veto a draft resolution demanding an immediate halt to Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory.
The US threatened over the weekend that it would block a resolution, proposed by Algeria, that is expected to be considered on Tuesday.
“We don’t believe that this Council product will help the situation on the ground,” US deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said Monday.
The document, prepared by Algeria, “demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be respected by all parties.”
Instead, the US drafted a resolution, calling for the Security Council to underscore “its support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practical, based on the formula of all hostages being released.”
It also warns Israel not to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town where about 1.5 million people are sheltering from the regime’s airstrikes and ground attacks elsewhere in the besieged strip.
“The Security Council should underscore that such a major ground offensive should not proceed, under the current circumstances.”
It is unclear whether or when the US-drafted document will be voted on by the 15-member Security Council.
There is no “deadline” for a vote on the American draft, a senior US official said Monday, adding there would be no “rush.”
While the US-drafted text does include the word “ceasefire,” it does not call for the end of hostilities to happen immediately.
The US, which holds council veto power, has previously vetoed two drafts in October and December.
Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya slammed a possible veto of a UN resolution, saying it is “sad that we cannot come (up) with a ceasefire… and that only one delegation is preventing that.”
And Chinese representative Jun Zhang said the Security Council has a “moral obligation” to take action “to stop the killings.”
The administration of President Joe Biden has so far rebuffed calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The president has also staunchly supported the regime in its onslaught on Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 29,000 people, since early October, according to Palestinian authorities.
