Russia, China veto US-led UN resolution on Gaza ceasefire
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[March 23, 2024]
By Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom
(Reuters) -The United Nations Security Council on Friday turned down a
resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an
Israel-Hamas 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 of the 15 council members voted for the resolution, but the
Russia and China vetoes stopped its passage.
The council will meet at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday to vote on an
alternative resolution drafted by elected members of the Security
Council, a diplomat said. The vote was planned for Saturday but was
postponed because discussions were ongoing, the diplomat added.
That resolution, a draft 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.
The draft does not include provisions supporting ongoing diplomatic
efforts to secure a ceasefire - an element of the U.S. resolution.
Washington has been working with Qatar and Egypt to try to broker a
deal.
U.S. HAD TOUGHENED ITS STANCE
Friday was the first time Washington had backed a text that came up for
a vote with the word "ceasefire" in it during the war in Gaza,
reflecting a toughening of the Biden administration's stance toward
Israel.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Mar/23/images/ads/current/peasley_sda_SFARM_2024.png)
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.
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![](../images/032324PIX/news_m30.jpg)
The United Nations Security Council meets to consider a United
States-sponsored resolution calling for a ceasefire during the
conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at
U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., March 22, 2024.
REUTERS/Mike Segar
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Mar/23/images/ads/current/graue_lda_chevyblazer4129_031824.jpg)
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, Israel has said.
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, CHINA OBJECTED TO U.S. RESOLUTION
Russia's ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, said the U.S.-led
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.
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.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom, Editing by
Howard Goller, Frances Kerry and Gerry Doyle)
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