United Nations, Dec 22 (EFE).- The UN Security Council on Friday approved a resolution to boost deliveries of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The resolution, which was tabled by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and took a week to negotiate, had to be rewritten several times due to objections from the United States, which has the power to veto.
The US and Russia, which also has a veto, both abstained.
The resolution calls on the UN secretary general to appoint a special coordinator to monitor and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, which has been under constant bombardment since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7.
The resolution was in danger of failing until the very last moment. Just before the vote, the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vasili Nebenzia, proposed an amendment to restore a reference in the original text on the need to pause hostilities to allow humanitarian aid in.
Following objections from Washington, that phrase was replaced by a less specific mention of the need to take “urgent steps” towards a cessation of hostilities.
The Russian amendment was ed by a majority of countries in the Council but vetoed by the US. In the end, Russia abstained, allowing the resolution to go through.
Speaking ahead of the vote, the UAE’s Ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh itted that the text “is not perfect” and that only a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will ease the dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian enclave, where more than 20,000 people have already died.
The resolution calls on the UN Secretary-General to appoint a humanitarian coordinator, who should come up with a mechanism to speed up the delivery of aid and present a plan within 20 days.
The text was scheduled to be voted on Monday but was delayed to give countries time to negotiate language that could be broadly ed.
Washington has already twice single-handedly vetoed resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, arguing on one occasion that it did not recognise Israel’s right to defend itself and on the that it did not demand the release of all hostages held by Hamas as a condition for a truce.
Another resolution tabled by Washington calling for “humanitarian pauses” was vetoed by Russia and China on 25 October.
Prior to Friday’s meeting, the Security Council had met six times to discuss Gaza, only once reaching consensus on a resolution without vetoes to call for “urgent and prolonged humanitarian pauses” in the war. The US also abstained on that occasion.
As part of its “unshakable” for Israel, the US regularly uses its veto to block UN resolutions that are critical of Israeli actions and policies against the Palestinians. EFE
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