UPDATING LIVE: US vetoes Algerian resolution demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza

10:56 AM

Council must speak out on Hamas attacks: Japan

Japanese Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki said “a humanitarian ceasefire needs to be realized promptly in such a way as to ensure a conducive environment for sufficient humanitarian assistance activities as well as to lead to the release of the remaining hostages."

Only then could there be a sustainable ceasefire.

“Based on this position, we call on all the parties concerned to act immediately from a humanitarian viewpoint,” he said.

In efforts to ensure a more fair and balanced text, the resolution should have included a condemnation of Hamas’s terrorist attacks, which the Security Council has so far failed to speak out.

“Though we couldn’t agree on a resolution which all the Council members can support, we are all engaging seriously to stop the violence,” he said.

10:45 AM

France: Council must act without further delay

Nicholas de Rivière, the Ambassador of France, regretted to note that the draft resolution could not be adopted, given the catastrophic situation on the ground.

“There is an extreme urgency to conclude, without further delay, an agreement on a ceasefire which finally guarantees the protection of all civilians and the massive entry of emergency aid” he said.

“The human toll and humanitarian situation in Gaza are intolerable and Israeli operations must end,” he stressed

It is also incomprehensible and unacceptable that this Council has still not condemned the terrorist acts committed by Hamas and other terrorist groups on 7 October, he said, as well as the sexual violence used as weapons of war by these terrorists.

“We strongly deplore this and call for the Council to quickly emerge from this culpable ambiguity,” he said.

10:40 AM

China: Veto sends wrong message

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said the use of the veto by the US sends the wrong message, pushing Gaza further into crisis at a time when Palestinians are struggling on the brink of death.

It is totally untenable of the US to argue that the draft jeopardizes ongoing talks. Meanwhile, the violence is destabilizing the entire region, and the Council must act quickly to stop the carnage, he said.

The Council must uphold international order and demand a ceasefire, which is its legal responsibility. The Council must not stop its work because of the veto, he said, calling on the international community to give Palestinians a chance to live and to provide justice.

10:35 AM

Speaking after the vote, US Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said her delegation is willing to engage constructively with Council members on her delegation’s draft resolution.

10:33 AM

Resolution vetoed by US

The resolution has failed to be adopted due to a veto by the United States.

The voting was 13 in favour, 1 abstention (the UK) with the US voting against.

10:27 AM

Russia: US is giving Israel ‘a license to kill’

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Washington continues to provide Israel with “a license to kill”. Algeria organized discussions in good faith to produce its draft resolution, but the US in effect issued an ultimatum, asserting that the draft was dangerous as it would obstruct ongoing talks.

Indeed, Washington continues to insist the Council not interfere in the US plans, he said. The US has vetoed similar draft resolutions in the past.

“We call on the Council membership to counter the lawlessness of Washington,” he said. “Public opinion will no longer forgive the Security Council for inaction.”

10:20 AM

US offers alternative draft resolution

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said her delegation is working on a hostage deal. Although gaps remain, the key elements are on the table, so if an arrangement were reached it would involve a sustainable peace.

"Sometimes hard diplomacy takes more time than any of us might like,” she said. “Any action this Council takes should help and not hinder these sensitive ongoing negotiations.”

This draft will not bring about a durable peace, but instead extend the hostages’ captivity and the humanitarian crisis.

“While numerous parties engage in sensitive negotiations, this is not the time for this resolution, which jeopardizes these efforts,” she said, adding that numerous edits her delegation suggested were ignored.

That’s why the US is proposing a separate resolution that would work towards a temporary ceasefire based on the formula that all hostages are releases. It is time this Council condemns Hamas, she said.

Should the US draft be adopted, it would be the first time the Council condemned Hamas, as well as calls against any forced displacement of Gazans and that a major ground offensive in the enclave would not proceed.

The draft would also reiterate the US vision of a two-State solution, and would both support the ongoing negotiations and lay the groundwork for peace in the region, Mr. Thomas-Greenfield said.

“We’re at a pivotal and critical moment,” she said, citing ongoing suffering and rising humanitarian needs. “Let us commit to do this the right way at the right time.”

10:15 AM

This draft stands for truth, Mr. Benjama said.

“A positive vote for the draft brings hope for hundreds of thousands of children to return to school and enjoy the right to education. Conversely, voting against the draft resolution is a vote in favour of annihilating their dream for a better life.”

The international community must act swiftly, as the value of a ceasefire diminishes with each moment.

“We are rapidly approaching a critical juncture where the call to halt the machinery of violence will lose its significance,” he said. “Today, every Palestinian is a target for death, extermination and genocide. Each one of us decides on where to stand in this tragic chapter of history.”

10:07 AM

Time for action and truth: Algeria

The Permanent Representative from Guyana is presiding. Her country holds the presidency for the month.

Amar Benjama, the Algerian Ambassador, is introducing his country's resolution, saying it was a product of extensive discussions.

He said the Council "cannot afford passivity" in the face of what is unfolding in Gaza. He says the Council must follow its mandate, and demand an immediate ceasefire.

“Throughout this process we have heard calls to give time to a parallel track, with concerns raised that any action from the Council would jeopardize these efforts, however, almost one month after the ICJ orders, signs of hope are still absent for improvement on the situation in Gaza. Silence is not a viable option. Now is the time for action and the time for truth,” he said.

09:30 AM: Tabled by Algeria, the draft resolution would also have the Council reiterate its demand that all parties scrupulously comply with their obligations under international law regarding the protection of civilians.

Threat of veto looms

The Council needs at least nine votes to be able to adopt the draft resolution.

Media reports indicate that the United States may veto it, as it has publicly said it would referring to earlier drafts during this weeks-long negotiating process.

The term “ceasefire” has been contentious, with the US having vetoed a previous draft resolution late last year tabled by the United Arab Emirates.

If this happens again today, the General Assembly would again organize an emergency special session through a mechanism set up recently to examine the use of veto following an initiative by Lichtenstein, which is a privilege of the Council’s five permanent members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States.

Algeria’s draft on the table today would have the Council reject the “forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population in violation of international law and would demand an immediate end to any such violations and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. It would, among other things, call for unfettered humanitarian access into and throughout Gaza.

The Council has held more than a dozen meetings on the war in Gaza, including an open debate in late January, with more than 70 UN Member States voicing serious concerns about the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.

Many called on the Security Council to “work harder” to end the war, which began in October when Israeli invaded the enclave in response to Hamas’s attacks that left 1,200 dead and 240 taken hostage. To date, almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities.

The US has reportedly circulated a rival resolution that would for the first time, support a temporary ceasefire in Gaza. It calls for a halt to the fighting "as soon as practicable" and requires the release of all hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the 7 October terror attacks in southern Israel, according to news reports.

Here are some highlights from the previous Council meeting focused on Gaza on 23 January:

HIGHLIGHTS

• Israel’s “clear and repeated rejection” of the two-State solution “is unacceptable”, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, adding that “this refusal, and the denial of the right to statehood to the Palestinian people, would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security.”
• Council members roundly called for the two-State solution to be realized and for an end to the war, with many calling for an immediate ceasefire to end the suffering of Palestinians and allow the aid they urgently need to be delivered unhindered
• Many speakers from the wider UN membership echoed those calls
• “Stop this massacre,” said the Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan
• “We are running out of time. There are two choices: a spreading fire or a ceasefire,” said the Foreign Affairs Minister for the Observer State of Palestine
• Israel’s Ambassador said if the Council continues to provide aid to Gaza without considering the Iranian threat, the world faces “a very dark future”