By Michelle Nichols
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!UNITED NATIONS, June 10 (Reuters) – On Monday, the United Nations Security Council endorsed a ceasefire proposal put forth by President Joe Biden, aiming to end the eight-month conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The resolution calls for Palestinian militants to accept the terms of the deal.
Hamas expressed readiness to cooperate with mediators to implement the plan’s principles, aligning with their demands and resistance efforts.
Russia abstained from the vote, while the remaining 14 Security Council members supported the U.S.-drafted resolution backing a three-phase ceasefire plan presented by Biden on May 31. Biden described the plan as an Israeli initiative.
“Today we voted for peace,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated after the vote. The resolution urges both Israel and Hamas to fully and unconditionally implement the ceasefire terms immediately.
Algeria, the sole Arab member of the council, voted in favor, emphasizing the resolution’s potential to foster an immediate and lasting ceasefire. “It offers a glimmer of hope to the Palestinians,” Algerian U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama said. “It’s time to halt the killing.”
The resolution outlines that the ceasefire will persist as long as negotiations continue, even if phase one takes longer than six weeks.
### ISRAEL’S OBJECTIVES
Despite supporting the resolution, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized it for lacking specific details about Israel’s commitments. “We did not wish to block the resolution simply because it, as much as we understand, is supported by the Arab world,” Nebenzia commented.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan did not address the council, but senior Israeli U.N. diplomat Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly reiterated Israel’s goals in Gaza: freeing all hostages, dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities, and ensuring Gaza does not pose a future threat to Israel. “It is Hamas that is preventing this war from ending. Hamas and Hamas alone,” she declared.
The Security Council previously called for an immediate ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas. Since October, U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari negotiators have been working towards a ceasefire agreement. Hamas seeks a permanent end to the conflict and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The conflict escalated following an October 7 attack by Hamas militants, which resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and more than 250 hostages. Gaza health authorities report that Israel’s subsequent air, ground, and sea assault has killed over 37,000 Palestinians.
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