The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas after the United States abstained from the vote, sparking a spat with its ally Israel.
The remaining 14 council members voted in favour of the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 elected members of the council. There was a round of applause in the council chamber after the vote on Monday.
“This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres posted on social media.
Tensions between the United States and Israel were exposed on Monday when Washington stood aside and allowed the UN Security Council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The US decision to abstain on the vote prompted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a scheduled trip to the US by two of his top advisers, two Israeli officials said.
The US had previously vetoed similar resolutions calling for a ceasefire. Its position evolved last week when on Friday, it put forward a ceasefire resolution tied to the release of hostages. That resolution fell when it was vetoed by China and Russia. The US abstention on Monday’s vote allowed the latest resolution to pass, when the other 14 members of the 15-strong council voted yes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the failure of the U.S. to veto the resolution was a “clear retreat” from its previous position and would hurt Israel’s war efforts and bid to release more than 130 hostages still held by Hamas.
“Our vote does not, and I repeat that does not represent a shift in our policy,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “Nothing has changed about our policy. Nothing.”
Meanwhile many world leaders have welcomed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.
World reacts to UNSC resolution :
China’s ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said
“For the lives that have already perished, the council resolution today comes too late, but for the millions of people in Gaza who remain mired in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, this resolution, if fully and effectively implemented, could still bring long-awaited hope,”
Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya said
“We believe it is fundamentally important to vote in favour of peace. The council must continue to work on achieving a permanent ceasefire,”
French ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Riviere said
“The Security Council’s silence on Gaza was becoming deafening. It is high time now for the council to finally contribute to finding a solution,”
UK ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward said
“We call for this resolution to be implemented immediately. President, we need to focus on how we chart the way from an immediate humanitarian pause to a lasting, sustainable peace without a return to fighting,”
Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said
“It is harmful to these efforts because it gives Hamas terrorists hope to get a ceasefire without releasing the hostages. All members of the council … should have voted against this shameless resolution,”
Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said that adopting the resolution is a step in the right direction to end the five-month war, to allow the entry of aid, and to begin the return of those displaced.
Talking to Al Jazeera Hamas official Basem Naim said
“It is the role of the international community to oblige Israel and to end this double standard,”
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