UN Security Council Passes Resolution to Increase Humanitarian Aid to Gaza; U.S. Abstains and Expresses Criticism of UN
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Following a week of vote delays and intense negotiations to circumvent a United States veto, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) approved a resolution that called for the boosting of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and called for urgent steps “to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
The resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates in the United Nations Security Council was passed with 13 votes in favor and none against. The United States and Russia, while not opposing the resolution, chose to abstain from voting. The U.S. abstention was due to the resolution’s failure to condemn Hamas, whereas Russia abstained because it did not explicitly call for an immediate ceasefire.
The UNSC resolution “calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
Resolutions passed by the Security Council are legally binding, yet in practice, they are often disregarded by various parties who choose not to comply with the council’s calls for action. On the other hand, resolutions of the General Assembly, while not legally binding, serve as an essential indicator of global opinion.
This month, the 193-member UN General Assembly called for a humanitarian ceasefire, with 153 countries voting in support. This move came after the United States had vetoed a similar proposal in the Security Council just days before.
US Points to UN’s Failure to Condemn Hamas
On Friday, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, strongly criticized the UN Security Council for its continued failure to condemn Hamas for its terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7th.
“Ultimately, while we are encouraged that the council spoke out on this humanitarian crisis, we’re deeply disappointed — appalled, actually — that once again, the council was not able to condemn Hamas for the horrific terrorist attack [it perpetrated] on October 7,” Thomas-Greenfield said after passage of the resolution.
“Why is it so hard to condemn Hamas for slaughtering young people at a concert, for butchering families alive, for the reports of widespread sexual violence? I will never understand why some council members have remained silent in the face of such evil,” Thomas-Greenfield concluded.