Russian, Chinese veto shoots down US resolution on war on Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Oct 2023 00:32
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Russia labeled the US draft resolution as a "license" for "Israel" to proceed with a ground invasion in Gaza.

Zhang Jun, China's ambassador to the United Nations, left, speaks with Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations as members of the U.N. Security Council gathered before going into closed consultations at United Nations headquarters Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 (AP)

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday turned down a resolution drafted by the United States concerning the war on Gaza.

The rejection came with the exercise of veto power by two permanent members of the Security Council, namely Russia and China.

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia was critical of the resolution, describing it as "political" and expressing concerns about the approach taken in its drafting.

Nebenzia pointed out that the US delegation had refused other Security Council members the opportunity to consult with their respective capitals and had imposed unrealistic and urgent deadlines.

"The American delegation directly refused other security council members the opportunity of consulting with capitals, establishing unrealistic urgent deadlines," Nebenzia told the Security Council members ahead of the vote.

Nebenzia labeled the draft resolution as a "license" for "Israel" to proceed with a ground invasion in Gaza.

On the other hand, the Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said that the US draft resolution on the war on Gaza does not reflect the world's strongest calls for a ceasefire and would not help resolve the conflict

"The draft does not reflect the world's strongest calls for a ceasefire and an end to the fighting and it does not help to resolve the issue based on the above. The draft text is evidently not in a position to be adopted," Zhang Jun told the Security Council members.

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, expressed gratitude to Russia and China for their veto of the US-proposed resolution in the UN Security Council, according to the Palestinian movement.

Another draft resolution proposed by Russia was shot down by the UNSC.

Commenting on the incident Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia stated that his country is upset that its resolution regarding the war on Gaza was not adopted and that it supports Jordan's additional steps in this regard in the UN General Assembly.

"We regret the fact that the Security Council did not meet the hopes pinned upon it. We sought to do everything we could to help this," Nebenzia said during a meeting of the UN Security Council.

According to the Russian envoy, Jordan's efforts and the UN General Assembly now have the problem of stopping the violence from getting worse.

Earlier in the day, Sputnik reported, citing UN sources, that Arab nations have drafted a resolution for the UN General Assembly concerning the current situation in Palestine.

The General Assembly may potentially review the document during its special session scheduled for October 26, the source said.

In the draft resolution, the Assembly is advocating for an immediate ceasefire and urging all parties to uphold their commitments under international humanitarian law, with a particular focus on safeguarding civilian life and civilian infrastructure.

"[The document] demands also the immediate, continuous, sufficient and unhindered provision of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip, including but limited to water, food, medical supplies, fuel, and electricity," according to the text.

The document also emphasizes the need for immediate access for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, along with other UN agencies and their collaborators, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross and other global organizations to enable the distribution of humanitarian aid to civilians.

The draft resolution further calls for the "immediate release of all civilians" and emphasizes the need for promptly establishing a mechanism to safeguard the civilian population in Palestine in alignment with the existing UN resolutions.