The United States abstained from voting on the resolution.
The other 14 members of the council voted in favor of the resolution proposal in a vote on Monday.
It is thus the first time that the Security Council has adopted a resolution on a ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.
The Security Council resolution called for an immediate ceasefire during the fasting month of Ramadan and the unconditional release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas welcomes the resolution, according to Reuters.
At the same time, Hamas says it is ready to exchange prisoners and hostages on both sides of the conflict.
Hamas has also previously demanded that Palestinians who are in Israeli prisons must be released in exchange for the release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s defense minister claims that the country has no “moral right to stop the war in Gaza until we get all the hostages home”, reports Reuters.
In addition to the 14 council members who voted in favor, the 22 countries of the UN Arab Group also supported the resolution.
Because Ramadan ends on April 9, the ceasefire call will only last for two weeks.
The US has long opposed the word ceasefire, and has previously vetoed it a number of times. Before the vote, Washington warned that the resolution could damage negotiations between the United States, Egypt and Qatar to stop the hostilities.
Let’s not vote
14 out of 15 countries voted in favor of the resolution, which also calls for the release of hostages. The United States abstained from voting.
This leads to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceling sending a delegation to the United States. He believes this shows a change in the US’s position, says a statement from his office.
Netanyahu believes the US’s choice not to veto the resolution is an “obvious retreat”.
Prime Minister of Israel
The delegation was going to Washington, DC to discuss a planned military operation in Rafah in Gaza, according to Reuters.
The news from Netanyahu’s office came as White House spokesman John Kirby held a press briefing.
Then he said that the cancellation was not known to them.
– We looked forward to having conversations about options and possibilities for a larger ground operation, because we do not believe that is the right course of action in Rafah, said Kirby.
Expert: Binding resolution
Research professor Niels Nagelhus Schia at Norway’s Foreign Policy Institute (Nupi) says that Security Council resolutions are binding, but that there are no guarantees that they will be followed.
– Nevertheless, this is a clear and clear message from the international community to Israel to lay down its weapons with immediate effect, and it will take a lot for Israel not to comply with this, says Schia to NTB.
The US is also sending a clear message by abstaining, according to the researcher.
– The US abstains from voting, but presented a resolution proposal with much of the same content on Friday. So even if they did not vote for this resolution, it can still be read as a clear message to Israel that the US also believes that the ceasefire must now be concluded with immediate effect.
Støre on UN resolution: High time
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) says it is both important and timely that the Security Council has adopted a resolution on an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
– It is both important and timely that the UN Security Council has now adopted a clear demand for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for the roughly two weeks that now remain of Ramadan. Now this resolution must be implemented on the ground without delay, he says in a statement.
– The situation in Gaza is unsustainable. It is worth noting how the Security Council now characterizes what is happening in Gaza as a catastrophic humanitarian situation. At the same time, it is emphasized in the resolution that the hostages must be released. Israel must now allow humanitarian aid to arrive fully, and Hamas must release the hostages without delay, says Støre.
Tags: Security Council demands ceasefire release hostages Gaza
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