US urges Security Council to back ceasefire plan laid out by Biden

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Jun 2024 08:27
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Failing to call on the Israeli occupation forces to end its war machine, the US draft urges Hamas to accept the deal.

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People speak during a Security Council meeting about the war in Gaza at United Nations headquarters, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP)

The United States called on the United Nations Security Council on Monday to adopt a resolution supporting the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance laid out by President Joe Biden, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The US circulated a one-page draft text to the 15-member council. For the resolution to pass, it requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the US, France, Britain, China, or Russia.

Failing to call on the Israeli occupation forces to end its war machine, the draft urges Hamas to accept the deal and "fully and implement its terms without delay and without condition."

Earlier Monday, the White House said Biden told the emir of mediator Qatar that he saw Hamas as "the only obstacle to a complete ceasefire" in Gaza and urged him to press the Palestinian Resistance group to accept it.

But it is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office that stressed that the ongoing war on Gaza would continue until all "goals are achieved," including the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities, and it is Netanyahu's extremist ministers who are threatening to leave the government in the event that he accepts the deal.

The US text also "stresses the importance of the parties adhering to the terms of the deal once agreed, with the aim of bringing about a permanent cessation of hostilities."

This proposal follows a draft resolution introduced by Algeria a week earlier, which called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all captives held by Hamas and demanded that "Israel" "immediately halt its military offensive" in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, citing the International Court of Justice's recent order.

On Friday, Biden presented what he described as a three-phase Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of Israeli captives, underlining that "it's time for this war to end."

Hamas said it "views positively" the ceasefire proposal laid out by the US president and confirmed its readiness to "deal positively and in a constructive manner" with any proposal that is based on a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Strip.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that "numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan and we call on the Security Council to join them in calling for implementation of this deal."

"We must speak with one voice in support of this deal," she stressed.

The Group of Seven (G7) said that they "fully endorse and will stand behind the comprehensive" ceasefire and captive exchange deal, while the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt emphasized the importance of dealing "seriously and positively" with the plan.