World Security Council calls for immediate aid corridor to Gaza
In recent weeks, draft resolutions for more aid for the population in the Gaza Strip have failed due to resistance from the USA, which is opposed to clear criticism of Israel's government. In order to persuade the superpower to abstain, a great many compromises are necessary in the resolution that has now been passed.
After days of wrangling, the UN Security Council has passed a resolution calling for an increase in humanitarian aid for around two million people in need in the Gaza Strip. The most powerful UN body adopted a significantly softened compromise text in New York. The USA abstained. Since the beginning of the week, it had looked as though Washington would use its veto power to protect the interests of its ally Israel. However, massive concessions by the negotiators prevented the resolution from failing at the last minute. A total of 13 of the 15 countries voted in favor of the text, with Russia abstaining alongside the USA.
The resolution, which is binding under international law, calls on Israel to "immediately allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access" to the Gaza Strip. The conditions for a sustainable cessation of violence must also be created. On the contentious issue of how to monitor the aid supplies, the Council members agreed to appoint a UN coordinator. In cooperation with all actors, this coordinator should also ensure that deliveries are expedited.
The Council also demands that humanitarian goods should flow into the Gaza Strip via all available border crossings. However, other passages were deleted under pressure from the USA: A paragraph condemning "all violations of international humanitarian law, including all indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects" can no longer be found in the resolution in this form. An immediate suspension of violence to allow aid deliveries, as previously demanded, is also missing. A number of Council members were dissatisfied with the text due to the significant weakening.
It remains to be seen how much influence the resolution will actually have. Despite its binding nature, the consequences for Israel in the event of non-compliance are likely to be manageable. As a result of Israel's warfare over the past ten weeks, the humanitarian situation of the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip is dramatic. A recent UN study concludes that 577,000 people in the sealed-off coastal strip fall into the most serious category of hunger. In the rest of the world combined, there are currently 129,000 people who are similarly threatened. Almost all people in the Gaza Strip suffer from hunger or displacement. Israel had sealed off and attacked the Gaza Strip after the cruel terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on October 7.
Similar drafts failed due to the USA
The US government in particular struggled internally for a long time when negotiating the resolution, which had been introduced by the United Arab Emirates. According to reports, leading diplomats had already been prepared to abstain at the beginning of the week. However, President Joe Biden had initially decided to veto the bill despite a meeting on Tuesday with UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken then obtained further concessions in direct talks with his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, according to diplomats.
In recent weeks, two similar draft resolutions had failed due to resistance from the USA. Washington had always backed Israel, stating that attempts at a resolution could jeopardize ongoing diplomatic efforts on the ground. So far, the UN Security Council has only passed a resolution on the conflict a few weeks ago that is binding under international law and has a humanitarian focus. The UN General Assembly, on the other hand, has already passed two resolutions calling for an end to the violence. However, the resolutions of this body are not binding, but rather symbolic.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also urged the UN Security Council to support a humanitarian ceasefire with unusually harsh measures. In a recent letter to the Council, he referred to Article 99 of the UN Charter. This allows the Secretary-General to bring to the attention of the Security Council "any matter which, in his opinion, may endanger the maintenance of international peace and security" - and according to the UN, has not been applied for decades.
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- Despite the USA's opposition, the Palestinians have firmly advocated for enhanced humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, citing the ongoing Israel war and the resulting hardships faced by the population.
- The resolution passed by the UN Security Council, in response to the failed drafts, demands that Hamas and other militant groups in the Gaza Strip cease all hostilities, allowing for a temporary stopping of conflicts and wars in the area.
- The recent US abstention on the UN Security Council resolution regarding the Gaza Strip has sparked a renewed controversy, with critics arguing that the decision may indirectly support Israel, despite the intense wars and conflicts in the Gaza Strip causing significant suffering among the civilian Palestinians.
Source: www.ntv.de
