Russia and China Veto US Proposed Resolution for 'Immediate Ceasefire' in Gaza

The US proposed resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was vetoed by Russia and China on Friday, March 23, in the United Nations Security Council. This resolution, which failed to pass due to the negative votes from these two permanent members of the council, along with negative votes from Algeria and an abstention from Guyana, called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire for six weeks to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid delivery. US representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed regret over Russia and China's use of their veto power despite the support of the majority of Security Council members for the proposed resolution. Eleven other members of the Security Council voted in favor of this resolution. Ms. Thomas-Greenfield stated that Russia and China vetoed the resolution for 'selfish' and 'insignificant' reasons, claiming that Moscow and Beijing opposed it solely because the draft was prepared by Washington. She also criticized these two permanent members for not condemning the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. Before the Security Council vote, she warned that failure to agree on this resolution would be a 'historic mistake.' Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian representative to the UN, urged Security Council members to vote negatively on the proposed resolution, claiming it was 'overly politicized' and would serve as a green light for potential Israeli military operations in Rafah. According to him, several non-permanent members of the UN Security Council have prepared another draft resolution that he claims is 'balanced.' Zhang Jun, the Chinese representative to the UN, also stated that his country would support this resolution, calling the US proposed resolution 'unbalanced' and claiming it did not clearly oppose Israel's aggression in Rafah. However, the US representative at the UN responded to this proposed resolution by stating that its current text does not support sensitive diplomacy in the Middle East and would give Hamas an excuse to move away from the agreement on the table. Meanwhile, the US proposed resolution supported negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt. Reuters reported that a draft resolution proposed by 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, coordinated by Mozambique, might be voted on Friday afternoon. In addition to the US, China, Russia, the UK, and France as permanent members of the Security Council, there are currently 10 non-permanent members: Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South Korea, and Switzerland. The draft resolution, which Reuters has accessed, calls for an immediate ceasefire until the end of Ramadan and the release of all hostages, emphasizing the need to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza. Minutes after the veto of the US proposed resolution by Russia and China, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that his country, along with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, would work to persuade these two permanent members of the Security Council to accept another resolution for establishing a ceasefire in Gaza. He added that France would resume its efforts based on its draft resolution in the Security Council and would collaborate with the United States, European powers, and its Arab partners to reach an agreement. The French President expressed hope that 'a change in the tone of the US' might lead to a new draft resolution being approved by the Security Council with the cooperation of Arab governments after the agreement of Russia and China. The French Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it had begun preparing a draft resolution and would present it if the US proposed resolution failed. Netanyahu, after meeting with Blinken: 'If necessary, we will enter Rafah without US support.' The US military continues to provide aid to Gaza civilians, sending over 50,000 food packages from the air on Thursday. Blinken: 'The gaps between Israel and Hamas are narrowing, but serious challenges remain.' The Israeli army claims to have arrested 358 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad at Shifa Hospital. Iraqi Islamic Resistance claims to have attacked electricity facilities in Tel Aviv, Israel. European leaders are calling for a 'sustainable ceasefire' in Gaza; Israel: 'We are determined to control Rafah.' The Israeli army reports that 140 armed men were killed in the attack on Shifa Hospital. Netanyahu held a virtual meeting with a group of Republican senators; John Kirby: 'Support for Israel is a bipartisan issue.'