— China, Russia call resolution gives Israel carte blanche for Rafah raid
UNKIGTED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council has failed to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China, who are permanent members, voted against the measure proposed by the United States, Reuters reports.
The resolution called for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
China has said it supported steps by the UN Security Council to end fighting in Gaza, while not saying whether Beijing, a permanent council member with veto power, would support a US draft resolution on the need for an immediate ceasefire, AFP reports.
“China supports the Security Council in taking further responsible and meaningful actions as soon as possible to make unremitting efforts to end the fighting in Gaza at an early date,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said.
The United States, which has repeatedly blocked calls for a truce in Gaza, will today submit for a vote a draft to the Security Council on the need for “an immediate ceasefire”.
Asked today whether it supported the resolution, Beijing demurred. “The international community expects the Security Council to earnestly fulfil its responsibilities,” Lin said.
“On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, we must respect history and facts, listen to and respect the position and voice of the majority of Arab countries, realise a ceasefire and end of fighting as soon as possible,” he added. “This is the yardstick by which we measure the Security Council’s actions and decisions,” he said.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said it was exceedingly politicised and contained an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah.
Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, has said that the United States is doing nothing to rein in Israel, mocked Washington for speaking of a ceasefire after “Gaza has been virtually wiped off the face of the Earth” and assailed the country’s resolution on a stop to the fighting in Gaza as a “hypocritical spectacle”, AFP reports.
“The American product is exceedingly politicised, with the sole purpose being to play to voters and throw them a bone in the form of some kind of a mention of a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.
The resolution will “ensure the impunity of Israel, whose crimes are not even assessed in the draft.”
Israel’s Netanyahu says he told Blinken we will go into Rafah alone if needed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel remained determined to send troops into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering, and would do so without US backing if necessary, Reuters reports.
Netanyahu said in a statement he had told visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that there was no way to defeat Hamas without going into Rafah. “And I told him that I hope we will do it with the support of the US, but if we have to — we will do it alone,” he said.
