The UN Security Council decided on Wednesday to impose “extended humanitarian pauses” in the Gaza Strip. The demand for a days-long ceasefire is binding under international law.
The Maltese government presented the resolution, which was ultimately adopted by twelve votes in favor. There were no votes against and three abstentions, including the governments of Russia, the US and Britain.
The resolution calls for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days.” Humanitarian assistance must be provided during these ceasefires. However, there is no formal ceasefire. The text primarily addresses the suffering of Palestinian minors.
No “forced relocation”
The text calls on all parties to the conflict to comply with international law. For example, it says that “forced displacement of the civilian population” is rejected and that vital services should not be denied to the people of the Gaza Strip. According to diplomats, these positions must be understood in light of Israeli actions in the region. However, the country is not mentioned by name throughout the document.
The Islamist Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7 and caused a massacre of civilians that left some 1,200 dead, is also barely mentioned – only in one place when it concerns the release of the kidnapped Israeli hostages. There is no condemnation of the massacre in the text.
Russia for a ceasefire
The governments that have abstained have various reasons for this. The US had already vetoed a draft in October because it did not emphasize Israel’s right to self-defense. The Kremlin wanted a ceasefire and a definitive cessation of hostilities to be enshrined in the document.
It is the first resolution of the UN Security Council in New York on the war in the Middle East since October 7. At the end of October, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that was considerably more critical of Israel. The Austrian government voted against; this decision was not binding under international law.
Source: Krone
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