Algeria calls for UNSC vote on Gaza ceasefire, US says will veto

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
18 Feb 2024 05:56
3 Shares

The Algerian draft resolution rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians and urges the entry of humanitarian aid to the entire Gaza Strip.

The UN Security Council meets at United Nations headquarters, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Algeria has called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday to vote on a draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and according to media sources, the Security Council has decided to vote on the resolution next week.

On Friday, the Algerian mission to the United Nations distributed a modified draft resolution to Security Council members, calling for "an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons which must be respected by all parties."

The draft resolution rejects "the forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population," and urges the entry of humanitarian aid "fully, quickly, safely, and without hindrance, to the entire Gaza Strip." It also calls on "all parties to comply with international law."

It is worth noting that the United Nations General Assembly elected Algeria in June 2023 as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for a two-year term.

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, responded by saying that should the draft resolution presented by Algeria come up for a vote as drafted, it will not be adopted by Washington.

Vetoed by the US for the benefit of its biggest ally "Israel", previous draft resolutions presented to the Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza have failed.

The first time was on October 18, 2023, with a Brazil-drafted resolution, the second was on December 8, 2023, with a UAE-drafted resolution, and the third was on December 22, 2023, with a Russian-drafted resolution.

Although nearly 29,000 Palestinians have been martyred in the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the United States continues to support "Israel" diplomatically and militarily, despite its alleged efforts to "facilitate" pauses for the fighting and a prisoner exchange deal between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Resistance factions.

While Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to persist with the war on Gaza until "destroying Hamas", the Palestinian Resistance has reiterated that it will negotiate a deal only if a permanent ceasefire agreement is achieved, refusing any temporary deals.