UPDATING LIVE: Security Council to vote on US resolution stating imperative of an ‘immediate and sustained ceasefire’ in Gaza

09:26 AM

Alternative resolution fails to support diplomatic talks: US

Russia has put politics over progress in vetoing the resolution, throwing stones when it lives in a glass house, said the US Ambassador.

She said Russia and China were doing nothing meaningful to advance peace.

She said the new text fails to support sensitive diplomacy in the region and could give Hamas an excuse to walk away from the deal that is on the table. She said the US would continue to work for peace alongside Qatar and Egypt in the ongoing talks.

09:22 AM

Russia and China veto US resolution

The votes are in and there were three against, including Russia and China which means the US draft has been vetoed. There were 11 votes in favour.

09:13 AM

Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said before the vote that the US had promised an agreement to end the fighting time and time again.

Now, the US has finally recognized the need for a ceasefire, when more than 30,000 Gazans have already died.

He said the US was trying to “sell a product” to the Council by using the word imperative in its resolution.

“This is not enough” and the Council must “demand a ceasefire” he declared.

He said there was no call for a ceasefire in the text, accusing US leadership of “deliberately misleading the international community.” The draft is just playing to US voters he said, “to throw them a bone” with a false ceasefire call.

If you pass this resolution, he told ambassadors, “you will cover yourselves in disgrace.”

He said that an alternative draft resolution which was a “balanced and apolitical document” was being circulated by some other members of the Council. 

 09:08 AM

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said before the vote on the draft that the US wants to see an immediate and sustained ceasefire.

But, “we have to do the hard work of diplomacy” to make that aim a reality and it has to be made “real on the ground”.

This is why the negotiations are going on in Qatar which will lead to a sustainable ceasefire and she said we are close “but we are not there yet unfortunately.”

She said the resolution would help put pressure on Hamas to agree to a deal on ending the fighting and releasing hostages.

She argued that the resolution would at long last condemn Hamas but also alleviate the terrible suffering and violence wracking Gaza. It also highlights that an invasion of Rafah would be a mistake. 

09:06 AM

Japan’s Permanent Representative is inviting the representatives of Israel and Palestine to join the meeting.

09:00 AM

Japan has the presidency this month, and their Ambassador Yamazaki Kazuyuki is due to gavel the meeting open very soon.

08:50 AM – After weeks of behind the scenes negotiations among Security Council members in New York, the US draft marks a shift in position from the last time members met on 20 February when the US used its veto to quash an Algerian resolution which demanded an immediate ceasefire.

The US resolution, crucially, is not calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, rather stating the imperative for one.

Back then, 13 countries were in favour of the resolution, with the UK abstaining. The US based it opposition on the need to not interfere with “sensitive ongoing negotiations” and introduced a separate resolution condemning Hamas which would work towards a temporary ceasefire, based on the release of hostages.

What’s the US resolution calling for?

• Makes imperative an immediate and sustained ceasefire with an “urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance” to all civilians and lifting “all barriers” to delivering aid at scale to Gazans
• Israel and all armed groups must comply with their obligations under international law, providing protection for humanitarian workers and medical personnel
• Condemns all acts of terrorism including the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October, the taking and killing of hostages, murder of civilians, sexual violence and condemns the use of civilian buildings for military purposes
• Rejects any forced displacement of civilians in Gaza
• Demands that Hamas and other armed groups immediately grant humanitarian access to all remaining hostages
• Underscores the Council’s full support for the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator Sigrid Kaag, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, so they can establish the new UN aid mechanism under previous resolution 2720
• Stressed the importance of the Senior Coordinator leading efforts for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza
• Demands all parties respect humanitarian notification and deconfliction mechanisms in place to prevent civilian deaths
• Rejects any action by Israel that could “reduce the territory of Gaza” and condemns calls from some Israeli ministers for the resettlement of Gaza or demographic changes
• Reaffirms condemnation of the ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen on shipping in the Red Sea
• Reiterates the Security Council’s “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-State solution”

Here are the HIGHLIGHTS from the last time the Council held a vote on Gaza on 20 February:

• US uses veto power to quash Algeria’s draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and presents rival text that would condemn Hamas but also support a temporary ceasefire
• The US is expected to circulate its own draft later on Tuesday but news reports suggest negotiations will be far from easy, with both Russia and China voicing strong opposition to the third use of a veto by the US on ceasefire resolutions
• Council members lament continued suffering in Gaza and lambast possible Israeli military operation into Rafah
• Algeria’s ambassador says it will continue to “knock at the Council’s door” to maximize pressure on Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire which will end the bloodshed
• “This veto does not absolve Israel of its obligations,” says the ambassador for the observer State of Palestine
• A ceasefire would be “a death sentence”, for Israelis and ordinary Gazans alike, says Israel’s ambassador
• Qatar’s ambassador, speaking for the Gulf Cooperation Council, says her delegation will continue its facilitating efforts to free all hostages, protect civilians and secure a ceasefire