Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
GAZA CITY, GAZA – OCTOBER 31: A view from the area after Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip on October 31, 2023. Palestinians, including children, were injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in the north of the A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday. Israeli attacks in Gaza continue for the 25th day. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
WashingtonCNN –
The US expresses concern over a draft resolution calling for a suspension of hostilities and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, arguing that the proposal for a United Nations-created monitoring mechanism for aid to the Gaza Strip could slow the delivery of critical aid.
If these concerns are not addressed, the thrice-delayed resolution could remain in limbo. As one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, a US veto means the resolution will not be adopted.
“The goal of this resolution is to facilitate and expand humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and we must not lose sight of that goal,” said Nate Evans, a spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations. “There remain serious and widespread concerns that this resolution, as currently written, could actually slow the delivery of humanitarian assistance by directing the UN to set up a dysfunctional monitoring mechanism.” We must ensure that any resolution helps the situation on the ground and does not affect them.”
The time for a possible vote on the resolution on Thursday has not yet been set.
A diplomatic source previously told CNN that the key issues in negotiations over the draft were the formulation of the “cessation of hostilities” and the requirement for the United Nations to “manage a monitoring mechanism in the Gaza Strip with the necessary personnel and equipment.” of… to set up”. the Secretary General of the United Nations.”
President Joe Biden is in touch with members of his national security team and officials representing the U.S. and the United Nations about discussions surrounding the resolution, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.
Kirby declined to comment on how a potential U.S. veto on the international stage would impact the Biden administration.
“Let's not get ahead of ourselves – there's no resolution for us to vote on right now, we're still working with our partners up there on what that language should look like,” he said. “It is of course important to us that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is addressed. We are working harder than any other country to actually address these concerns.”
But he acknowledged that the proposed language, which would give the United Nations sole responsibility for monitoring aid deliveries, could be a sticking point.
“I will not negotiate this language from this podium here – we are still actively working with our UN partners on the resolution and the language itself,” he said. “Israel has played – and understandably so – a key role, a crucial role in the inspection system, and we understand and respect that, and I think I’ll leave it at that.”
Previous delays this week focused on the United States' reluctance to sign a resolution that could be seen as a rebuke to Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
Diplomats hoped that changing some of the wording could garner American support or at least an abstention in the vote, allowing the resolution to pass.
But while the US, Israel's strongest ally, has repeatedly condemned the Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people on October 7, the rising civilian death toll in Gaza from Israel's response has alarmed senior US officials – including Biden – prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take more meaningful steps to protect innocent lives as he wages his war against Hamas.
About 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
During a Security Council meeting earlier this week, U.N. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said civilians and journalists must continue to be protected and that vital humanitarian assistance is needed to reach civilians.
Wood, who also expressed concern about violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, did not specify how the United States would vote on the resolution.
The US has rejected previous measures in the UN Security Council and voted against a call for a ceasefire in the larger UN General Assembly.
Last week, the United Nations General Assembly voted to call for an immediate ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza Strip, a rebuke to the United States that has repeatedly blocked calls for a ceasefire in the Security Council.
While the General Assembly vote is politically significant and carries moral weight, unlike a Security Council resolution, it is non-binding.