Doctors Without Borders dubs UNSC resolution as inadequate amid war
The Executive Director of Doctors Without Borders US, Avril Benoit, explains why the UNSC resolution regarding the Gaza Strip "falls painfully short" of the actual needs of the Palestinian people facing continuous bombardment for 77 days.
The resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is deemed inadequate in addressing the "crisis in Gaza", according to a statement released on Friday by the Executive Director of Doctors Without Borders US, Avril Benoit.
Benoit expressed disappointment in the resolution, stating, "Today’s Security Council resolution falls painfully short of what is required to address the crisis in Gaza: an immediate and sustained ceasefire," adding that "This resolution has been watered down to the point that its impact on the lives of civilians in Gaza will be nearly meaningless."
She also criticized the conduct of the Israeli occupation as it carried out massacres in Gaza, asserting that it was causing significant "death and suffering among Palestinian civilians" and was "inconsistent with international norms and laws."
Moreover, the statement noted that "Ensuring the rapid flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and safe, unhindered delivery of assistance within Gaza" should have been established from the onset of the war and should not have taken such a prolonged period.
Benoit urged the UNSC, as well as the US government, to "focus their attention on establishing a ceasefire and ensure that international humanitarian law does not become a mere afterthought in this conflict."
UNSC endorses resolution devoid of immediate ceasefire
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in New York reported today that the US vetoed a Russian amendment to a UNSC resolution on Gaza calling for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities."
Following the US Veto, the United Nations Security Council voted instead to endorse a resolution demanding the "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale," under UNSC Resolution 2722.
After numerous delays, the resolution also called for the development of "conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities," but it did not call for an immediate ceasefire.
Russia and the United States abstained, meaning it passed with 13 votes in favor, as Russia appealed for an immediate ceasefire.
The resolution urges "all sides" to "allow and facilitate the use of all... routes to and throughout the entire Gaza Strip, including border crossings... for the provision of humanitarian assistance."
It also proposes that a UN humanitarian coordinator be appointed to supervise and verify supplies coming into Gaza, with an earlier draft stating the aid system for accelerating relief distribution would be "exclusively" under UN authority.
It is now stated that it would be managed in conjunction with "all relevant parties," implying that "Israel" will retain operational control over assistance supplies.
Gaza authorities reported that "Israel" bombed a newly opened passageway for aid.
Russia, citing the American delegation's efforts, cautions that the revised document includes a dangerous element for Gaza's future by substituting the critical call for an immediate ceasefire with an unclear term, according to Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia on Friday.
"Through the efforts of the American delegation, that draft resolution has included an extremely dangerous element for the future of Gaza," Nebenzia expressed, adding that rather than use working for an immediate end of violence, " [an] ambiguous phrase has appeared calling for the parties to create conditions for a cessation of hostilities."
Nebenzia explained that the US resorted to its "favorite tactic of gross pressure, blackmail and twisting arms" which resulted in the wording of the draft resolution on Gaza "significantly neutered."
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