(Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council today turned down a U.S.-led resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States.
The resolution, on which Algeria also voted no and Guyana abstained, called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Eleven members of the 15-member council voted for the resolution.
The resolution reflected a toughening of Washington’s stance toward Israel. Earlier in the five-month-old war, the U.S. was averse to the word ceasefire and vetoed measures that included calls for an immediate ceasefire.
“The vast majority of this council voted in favor of this resolution, but unfortunately Russia and China decided to exercise its veto,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council.
She accused Russia and China of vetoing the resolution for “cynical” and “petty” reasons. She said they opposed it simply because it was penned by the U.S. and criticized both countries for not condemning Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“For all the fiery rhetoric, we all know that Russia and China are not doing anything diplomatically to advance a lasting peace or to meaningfully contribute to the humanitarian response effort,” she told the council after the vote.
The U.S. has wanted any Security Council support for a ceasefire to be linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and took 253 captive in their Oct. 7 attack, according to Israeli tallies.
Nearly 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave.
Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, said the resolution was “exceedingly politicized” and contained an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah, a city on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip where more than half of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents have been sheltering in makeshift tents.
“This would free the hands of Israel and it would result in all of Gaza and its entire population having to face destruction, devastation, or expulsion,” Nebenzia told the meeting.
He said a number of non-permanent members of the Security Council had drafted an alternative resolution and said there was no reason for members not to support it.
China’s U.N. ambassador, Zhang Jun, criticized the text proposed by the U.S. for not clearly stating its opposition to a planned military operation by Israel in Rafah, which he said could lead to severe consequences. He said Beijing also supported the alternative.
But Thomas-Greenfield said that measure fell short.
“In its current form, that text fails to support sensitive diplomacy in the region. Worse … it could actually give Hamas an excuse to walk away from the deal on the table,” she said.
The U.S. resolution had backed talks under way being brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar over a ceasefire.
Diplomats said a vote was scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Saturday on the alternative resolution drafted by elected members of the Security Council.
That resolution, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, demands an immediate ceasefire for the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the release of all hostages and an expanded flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that his country would work with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to persuade Russia and China to back yet another alternative resolution at the United Nations for a ceasefire in Gaza.
