Senior Western diplomatic sources expect a vote next week at the UN Security Council on a draft resolution presented by Algeria demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, a correspondent at The New Arab’s sister site has learned.
A leaked copy of the draft resolution seen by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed’s correspondent at the UN headquarters in New York City, Ibtisam Azem, demands "an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons which must be respected by all parties".
The draft resolution stipulates "the rejection of the forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population," and once again calls on "all parties to comply with international law," and calls for humanitarian aid to arrive "fully, quickly, safely, and without hindrance, to the entire Gaza Strip."
It calls for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, condemning acts of violence and terrorism against non-combatants.
It also "demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to meet the medical needs of all captives".
No official date has yet been set for the vote.
Algeria’s draft resolution also reiterates the Security Council’s commitment "to the vision of a two-state solution, where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders, consistent with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions", stressing the important of unifying the Gaza Strip with the occupied West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.
Israel’s far-right government has refused to grant Palestinian statehood.
The draft also calls for the full implementation of the provisional measures announced by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in late January, in the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel.
Despite the court ruling, Palestinians in Gaza say Israel has continued to commit war crimes in its war on the enclave, where more than 28,700 people have been killed in bombardment since 7 October, mostly civilians.
Algeria had distributed the first draft resolution about two weeks ago to the council’s member states to mobilise enough votes in favour, Azem reported.
The North African country does not recognise Israel and has long been a staunch supporter of the Palestinians.
US objections
A diplomatic source at the UN suggested that the United States would likely use its veto if the draft’s language was not softened, as it did with Resolution 2720 in December.
Among current American objections to the draft resolution is that it does not condemn Hamas, and Washington would rather not refer to the ICJ provisions, according to a diplomatic source familiar with the matter.
The US also reportedly argues that putting the text to a vote "disrupts efforts to negotiate the release of the hostages and the facilitation of larger amounts of aid". It does not want a ceasefire either and has only called for humanitarian pauses..
During a press briefing last week, US envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, criticised Algeria’s attempts to push for a ceasefire resolution in Gaza for humanitarian reasons, claiming it "hinders efforts" to reach a deal with Hamas.
The US, Qatar, and Egypt are currently mediating negotiations for a truce deal between the Palestinian group and Israel similar to one in November, which saw fighting paused for six days and a hostage-prisoner swap.
Israel says more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, including some who were killed in Israeli strikes on the besieged territory.
The hostages were taken by Hamas during the group’s surprise attack in southern Israel on 7 October, which also led to the deaths of over 1,140 people.