The United Nations Security Council adopted A US-brokered cease-fire agreement aimed at ending eight months of bloody fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The draft resolution, approved by President Joe Biden, was finalized Sunday after nearly a week of negotiations among the 15-member council.
The resolution needed at least nine votes in favor and no veto from the US, France, Britain, China or Russia, which have the power to send any ceasefire proposal back to the drawing board.
China took no steps to prevent it, and Russia remained neutral.
in March, China and Russia andtoeGaza ceasefire resolution He said that he would give Israel the green light to attack the city of Rafah. Before that, it was the United States that vetoed three draft resolutions, two of which called for an immediate ceasefire.
Biden announced on May 31 that Israel had proposed a three-part plan leading to a permanent ceasefire. Gazaas well as release of all liens Held there since October 7, when Hamas launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel.
Since then, more than 36,000 Palestinians, including thousands of women and children, have been killed by Israeli forces, according to Gaza health authorities.
Nate Evans, spokesman for the US mission to the UN, said on Sunday that it was important for the Security Council to put pressure on Hamas to agree to the proposal accepted by Israel.
“Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has the opportunity to take a united position and call on Hamas to do the same,” he said.
But there are indications that Israel will not go along with the proposal.
The Dramatic rescue of four hostages on Saturday A senior Biden administration official reinforced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to continue his aggression in Gaza rather than agree to a cease-fire. This was reported by NBC News.
Also, as a large number of Palestinian civilians were killed as a result of the Israeli rescue raid, Despite intense pressure from Qatar and Egypt to reach a deal, Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar, who has opposed any deal with Israel, may now take a tougher line.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to meet with retired General Benny Gantz, among other things, as the Security Council began voting on Monday.
Gantz, a A centrist member of Israel’s War CabinetHe resigned on Sunday after accusing Netanyahu mismanaging the war and failing to agree on what will happen to Gaza after hostilities end.
The Biden administration had tried to convince Gantz to stay in government because his departure would force Netanyahu to lean more heavily on far-right members of his coalition who oppose any ceasefire with Hamas.
Before leaving, Blinken told reporters at a press conference in Cairo that it was up to Israelis to decide who would be in their government. But he added that if there is no ceasefire in Gaza, three scenarios could happen – all bad.
“Either Israel will have to stay, it says it doesn’t want to do that, and we believe it shouldn’t, and we’ll keep the bag in Gaza,” Blinken said.
Second, it could lead to a “big rebellion” that would last for years, he said.
Ultimately, Blinken said, “if there is no plan, it means either Hamas is coming back or we have a complete vacuum and you just have chaos, lawlessness, crime, jihadist groups and so on.”
Israel reports that over 1,200 people were killed and over 250 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. More than 100 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza. including five Americans: Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Omer Neutra, and Keith Siegel.