United States draft UN resolution condemns Israeli calls for settlers in Gaza, opposes reducing Gaza\u2019s territory
\nUNITED NATIONS
\nThe United States has proposed an alternative draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and opposing a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the text seen by Reuters on Monday.
\nWashington has been averse to the word ceasefire in any UN action on the Israel-Hamas war, but the US draft text echoes language that President Joe Biden said he used last week in conversations with Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
\nThe US draft text \u201cdetermines that under current circumstances a major ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighbouring countries.\u201d
\nIsrael plans to storm Rafah, where more than 1 million of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza have sought shelter, prompting international concern that such a move would sharply worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
\nThe draft US resolution says such a move \u201cwould have serious implications for regional peace and security, and therefore underscores that such a major ground offensive should not proceed under current circumstances.\u201d
\nIt was not immediately clear when or if the draft resolution would be put to a vote in the 15-member council. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to be adopted.
\nThe US put forward the text after Algeria on Saturday requested the council vote on Tuesday on its draft resolution, which would demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield quickly signalled that it would be vetoed.
\nRejects buffer zone
\nAlgeria put forward an initial draft resolution more than two weeks ago. But Thomas-Greenfield said the text could jeopardise \u201csensitive negotiations\u201d on hostages. The US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar are seeking to negotiate a pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
\nWashington traditionally shields its ally Israel from UN action and has twice vetoed council resolutions since Oct. 7. But it has also abstained twice, allowing the council to adopt resolutions that aimed to boost aid to Gaza and called for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses in fighting.
\nThe draft US text would condemn calls by some Israeli government ministers for Jewish settlers to move to Gaza and would reject any attempt at demographic or territorial change in Gaza that would violate international law.
\nThe resolution would also reject \u201cany actions by any party that reduce the territory of Gaza, on a temporary or permanent basis, including through the establishment officially or unofficially of so-called buffer zones, as well as the widespread, systematic demolition of civilian infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
United States draft UN resolution condemns Israeli calls for settlers in Gaza, opposes reducing Gaza\u2019s territory UNITED NATIONS The United States has proposed an alternative draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and opposing a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":388485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-388453","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n