al jazeeraThe UN Security Council for the first time passes a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Fourteen countries voted in favour of the resolution; the US, Israel’s main ally, abstained.
A report by the UN rapporteur on Palestine says there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the threshold has been met for genocidal acts by Israel in Gaza.
Israeli air attacks kill at least 22 Palestinians in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah region and 30 in Rafah in the south.
At least 32,333 Palestinians have been killed and 74,694 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive.
The 15-member UN Security Council voted 14-0 to approve a ceasefire resolution for Gaza.
The US used its power of veto to block three earlier ceasefire resolutions, but abstained from voting on Monday and allowed the resolution to pass as a result.
The resolution “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire” and the “immediate and unconditional release” of captives.
Is the resolution binding?
Security Council resolutions are legally binding on the UN’s 193 member nations though without enforcement they can be flouted.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for the resolution to be implemented, saying a “failure” to do so “would be unforgivable”.
How has Israel reacted?
The US abstention from the vote angered Israel, which has cancelled a visit to Washington by an Israeli delegation that was to discuss US concerns regarding a planned ground invasion of Rafah in the southern Gaza strip.
Israeli officials, including war cabinet member Benny Gantz, said the resolution had little meaning and “no operational significance”.
“We will always do what is right for Israel’s security,” Gantz wrote on social media.
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
These soldiers are from a country whose president is a Jew Zelensky. Orthodox churches are also being destroyed in this country. Synagogues are not touched. Surprisingly, it turns out that Jews get along well with the Bandera Nazis.