Gaza crisis: Deadlock deepens as Security Council rejects competing resolutions by US and Russia.
M2 PRESSWIRE-October 26, 2023-: Gaza crisis: Deadlock deepens as Security Council rejects competing resolutions by US and Russia
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RDATE:25102023
China and Russia on Wednesday vetoed a draft resolution sponsored by the United States, while a second Russian-backed resolution failed to secure sufficient votes in favour, deepening the Security Council's deadlock over any unified response to address the crisis in Gaza and Israel.
The US-led draft resolution failed to pass owing to a negative vote by permanent Security Council members China and Russia.
Ten members of the Council voted for the draft resolution and three against (China, Russia and UAE), with two abstentions (Brazil and Mozambique).
A 'no' vote from any one of the five permanent members of the Council stops action on any measure put before it. The body's permanent members are China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Russian-backed resolution
A second draft resolution, led by Russia, was not adopted as it failed to secure sufficient number of votes in favour.
Four Council members voted in favour (China, Gabon, Russia and UAE), two against (UK and US), and nine abstained (Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland).
For a resolution to be adopted, it must be supported by at least nine members of the Council.
The proposed texts
The similarly worded resolutions would have called for a "humanitarian ceasefire" or "humanitarian pause" to enable safe delivery of aid for desperate civilians.
Both drafts condemned the terror attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians of 7 October and urged action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where fuel is due to run out for hospitals and other crucial services, in a matter of hours, according to UN agencies on the ground.
Key differences in the text included a specific mention in the US-backed proposal of States' inherent right to self defence, and a call in the Russian-led one for the immediate cancellation by Israeli forces of the evacuation order for civilians to head into southern Gaza.
Draft resolutions do not represent the official position of the 15-member Security Council until adopted.
Some Council members spoke to state their positions ahead of the votes.
United States
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the fruits of diplomacy have played out over the past few days, with humanitarian aid beginning to reach...
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