The United Nations Security Council approved a US-drafted ceasefire agreement that aims to end eight months of bloody fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The draft resolution, approved by President Joe Biden, was finalized on Sunday after nearly a week of negotiations among members of the 15-member council.
To pass, the resolution needed at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the countries that have the power to send any ceasefire proposal back to the drawing board – the US, France, Britain, China or Russia.
China made no move to block it and Russia abstained.
In March, China and Russia vetoed a Gaza ceasefire resolution, saying it would give Israel the green light to attack the city of Rafah. Before that, it was the US that vetoed three draft resolutions, two of which would have called for an immediate ceasefire.
Biden announced on May 31 that Israel had proposed a three-part plan that would ultimately lead to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the release of all hostages who had been held there since October 7, when Hamas launched a bloody attack. surprise attack on Israel.
More than 36,000 Palestinians, including thousands of women and children, have since been killed by Israeli forces, according to Gaza health authorities.
Nate Evans, spokesman for the US mission to the UN, said on Sunday that it was important for the Security Council to pressure Hamas to agree to a proposal that Israel accepted.
“Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has the opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same,” he said.
But there are signs that Israel may not agree to this proposal.
Saturday’s dramatic rescue of four hostages strengthened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resolve to continue the invasion of Gaza rather than agree to a ceasefire, a senior Biden administration official told NBC News.
Furthermore, because many Palestinian civilians died as a result of the Israeli rescue attack, Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar, who has opposed any agreement with Israel despite intense pressure from Qatar and Egypt for a deal, may now adopt an even tougher stance.
And just as the Security Council began voting on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to, among other things, meet with retired general Benny Gantz.
Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet, resigned on Sunday after accusing Netanyahu of mismanaging the war and refusing to reach agreement on what will happen to Gaza after the end of hostilities.
The Biden administration has tried to persuade Gantz to remain in government because his departure would force Netanyahu to lean more heavily on far-right members of his coalition who oppose any ceasefire with Hamas.
Before leaving, Blinken told reporters at a press conference in Cairo that it is up to the Israelis to decide who will be in their government. But, he added, if there is no ceasefire in Gaza, three scenarios could emerge – all of them bad.
“Or Israel would have to stay, which (it) says it doesn’t want to do, and we believe it shouldn’t do, and we’ll be left holding the bag in Gaza,” Blinken said.
Second, it could lead to “a major insurgency” that would continue for years, he said.
Finally, Blinken said, “in the absence of a plan, this means the return of Hamas, or we will have a total vacuum and we will only have chaos, lawlessness, criminality, jihadist groups, etc.”
Israel claims that more than 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. More than 100 hostages are believed to remain captive in Gaza, including five Americans: Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Omer Neutra and Keith Siegel.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
