New York: The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday again failed to take action on the Israel-Hamas conflict despite an expanding humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Russia and China on Wednesday vetoed a United States resolution that called for a humanitarian pause to allow food, water and medicine to be delivered to Palestinian civilians, for the protection of civilians and a stop to arming Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
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Ten members voted for the resolution, while the United Arab Emirates voted no and two members (Brazil and Mozambique) abstained.
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It was surprisingly an unusual move by the US to suggest Security Council action, but diplomats of other countries noted that a humanitarian pause was not the same as a ceasefire, which has been backed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. A pause might last only for hours.
After the failure of the US resolution, the Security Council voted on a Russian-drafted text that called for a humanitarian ceasefire and withdrawal of Israel’s order for civilians in Gaza to relocate south ahead of a ground assault.
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It should be noted that it was Russia’s second attempt at a resolution but couldn’t secure minimum votes. Its first attempt on October 16 received the support of five council members.
Earlier, Brazilian-drafted resolution put forward on October 18 was vetoed by the US, which said it did not do enough to stress Israel’s right to self-defence. Russia and the United Kingdom abstained that resolution.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in his televised statement, that Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, saying that Hamas is “doomed”.
However, he declined to provide any details on the timing or other information about the operation, to “secure the lives of our soldiers”.
He added that Israel’s military are “getting prepared” for the ground invasion with the goal of destroying Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities. The country’s war cabinet are “working around the clock” until it reaches victory, he said.
He said the decision on when forces would go into the Palestinian enclave, would be taken by the government's special war cabinet “unanimously”.
