{"id":290124,"date":"2023-10-25T16:07:17","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T20:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=290124"},"modified":"2023-10-27T10:33:05","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T14:33:05","slug":"security-council-fails-to-adopt-either-of-two-draft-resolutions-addressing-conflict-and-humanitarian-crisis-in-gaza-press-release","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/security-council-fails-to-adopt-either-of-two-draft-resolutions-addressing-conflict-and-humanitarian-crisis-in-gaza-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Security Council Fails to Adopt Either of Two Draft Resolutions Addressing Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza – Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"
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9453RD MEETING (PM)<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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SC\/15464<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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25 OCTOBER 2023<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Security Council today failed to adopt either of two competing draft resolutions \u2014 one from the United States, the other from the Russian Federation \u2014 addressing the raging war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.<\/p>\n

In the first vote, the United States\u2019 text failed by a vote of 10 in favour to 3 against (China, Russian Federation, United Arab Emirates), with 2 abstentions (Brazil, Mozambique), owing to the negative vote of a permanent Council member.<\/p>\n

The Russian Federation\u2019s version was then not carried following a vote of 4 in favour (China, Gabon, Russian Federation, United Arab Emirates) and 2 against (United Kingdom, United States), with 9 abstentions (Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland).<\/p>\n

By the terms of the United States\u2019 draft resolution, the Council would have unequivocally rejected and condemned the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups that took place in Israel starting 7 October. It would have reaffirmed the inherent right of all States to individual and collective self-defence, adding that in responding to terrorist attacks, Member States must fully comply with all their obligations under international law.<\/p>\n

By other terms, the Council would have also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages taken by Hamas and other terrorist groups and called for all measures, specifically to include humanitarian pauses, to allow the full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access.<\/p>\n

Speaking before the first vote, Linda Thomas-Greenfield (United States) said that her delegation had worked to forge consensus around a strong and balanced text, soliciting input from all Council members. \u201cOur approach stands in stark contrast to Russia\u2019s. Russia has put forward a text at the very last minute with zero \u2014 zero \u2014 consultation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Vassily Nebenzia (Russian Federation), describing an earlier draft put forward by his delegation on 16 October as short, depoliticized and fully humanitarian, said that the United States was trying to push through a new text full of politicized, irrelevant and very dubious provisions. It contained no call for a ceasefire or any condemnation of arbitrary attacks on civilians in Gaza, among other things, he stated.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the first vote, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield expressed deep disappointment that the Russian Federation and China vetoed the draft resolution. The United States did listen to all Council members and worked to forge consensus around a text that would send a clear message to the world and, most importantly, to Israelis and Palestinians, she said.<\/p>\n

Zhang Jun (China) said that the United States\u2019 draft was put forth on Saturday and included divisive elements that went beyond the humanitarian realm. His delegation, along with the Russian Federation, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates, had proposed suggestions, but these were ignored in favour of cosmetic changes. The resulting draft was \u201cout of balance\u201d and evasive on the urgent issue of ending the fighting, he said.<\/p>\n

Hern\u00e1n P\u00e9rez Loose (Ecuador) and Ishikane Kimihiro (Japan) expressed their deep regret at the veto, while Ferit Hoxha (Albania) said that while it was not ideal, the United States\u2019 text was a reasonable way forward. The veto will not help the hostages or people in Gaza, he added.<\/p>\n

By the terms of the Russian Federation\u2019s draft, the Council would have called for an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian ceasefire, firmly condemned all violence and hostilities against civilians and unequivocally rejected and condemned both the heinous attacks by Hamas in Israel starting 7 October and the taking of civilian hostages.<\/p>\n

By other terms, it would have called for all measures, such as humanitarian pauses and establishment of humanitarian corridors, necessary to allow humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to all affected areas in Gaza. It would have also urged the immediate rescission of the order for civilians and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ staff to evacuate all areas of Gaza north of the Wadi Gaza and relocate to the south.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the vote on that text, Mr. Nebenzia regretted that the Council was unable to use yet another opportunity to respond to the unprecedented crisis in the Middle East. The challenge of preventing a further escalation now stands with the General Assembly, where Jordan is proposing a text on behalf of the Arab Group, he said.<\/p>\n

Robert A. Wood (United States) said that the \u201cbad faith resolution\u201d put forward by the Russian Federation lacked consensus and failed to reflect realities on ground. It was regrettable that Moscow chose to further divide the Council, rather than address the needs of Israel and Palestine, he added.<\/p>\n

Lana Zaki Nusseibeh (United Arab Emirates) said that the Council knows what the most pressing humanitarian needs are \u2014 an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, humanitarian access and adherence to international humanitarian law. The same value must be given to Palestinian lives as to Israeli lives, she said, adding that Gaza is occupied territory, its people cannot be abandoned and the Council must therefore step up.<\/p>\n

Lily Stella Ngyema-Ndong (Gabon) said that her country voted in favour of both resolutions as a show of support for both Palestinians and Israelis. \u201cWe regret that antagonism within this Council and the lack of unity has meant that we are unable to arrive at a consensus text,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom) said that the United States\u2019 draft would have had a real impact on the ground by calling for humanitarian pauses and the hostages\u2019 release. Her delegation voted against the Russian Federation\u2019s text as it failed to recognize Israel\u2019s right to self-defence, she added.<\/p>\n

Among delegations that abstained on the Russian Federation\u2019s text, Carolyn Abena Anima Oppong-Ntiri (Ghana) warned that war between Israel and Hamas could engulf the entire region \u201cif we do not effectively mobilize as a Council,\u201d she said. Hern\u00e1n P\u00e9rez Loose (Ecuador) said: \u201cThis Council must not become an arena for rivalry among its members.\u201d Ishikane Kimihiro (Japan) said that while the Russian Federation\u2019s draft contained important elements, it was important to recognize the right of every Member State to defend itself.<\/p>\n

Nicolas de Rivi\u00e8re (France) said that while his delegation voted in favour of the United States\u2019 draft, it abstained on the Russian Federation\u2019s version as it failed to qualify Hamas\u2019s actions as a terrorist attack. Nor, he added, was that text open for negotiation.<\/p>\n

Vanessa Frazier (Malta), speaking on behalf of the Council\u2019s 10 elected members, said that the 15-member organ must urgently and genuinely address the human situation in Gaza, whose population is on the brink of calamity. \u201cWe cannot add to their suffering through our inability to find agreement on a resolution that is definitely needed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Gilad Erdan (Israel), taking the floor towards the end of the meeting, thanked the United States for its draft resolution and those Council members that supported it. That text clearly condemned \u201csavage genocidal terrorists\u201d and stood up for Member States\u2019 right to defend themselves. \u201cHow would Moscow react if terrorist death squads wiped out entire neighbourhoods in Moscow?\u201d he asked. \u201cHow would Beijing respond if genocidal jihadists murdered or beheaded your babies?\u201d On the other hand, the Russian Federation\u2019s text sought to tie Israel\u2019s hands and prevent it from eliminating a threat to its existence. Its call for Israel to rescind its call for a temporary evacuation of Gaza only serves to maximize civilian casualties, he added.<\/p>\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

9453RD MEETING (PM) SC\/15464 25 OCTOBER 2023 The Security Council today failed to adopt either of two competing draft resolutions \u2014 one from the United States, the other from the Russian Federation \u2014 addressing the raging war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In the first vote, the United States\u2019 text failed by a vote of […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329,5140],"document-source":[1362,6169],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1769,5449,1829,2265,2005,1741,5200],"entity":[],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-290124","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-category-vetoed-draft-resolution","document-source-security-council","document-source-united-nations-department-of-global-communications","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-assistance-to-the-palestinian-people","document-subject-casualties","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-humanitarian-relief"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290128,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290124\/revisions\/290128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=290124"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=290124"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=290124"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=290124"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=290124"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=290124"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=290124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}