Israel-Hamas war: Inside UN Security Council meet that rejected Russia's resolution for ceasefire

The United Nations Security Council on Monday (Oct 16) rejected a Russian resolution that called for "an immediate ceasefire" in Gaza. The fifteen-member Security Council rejected Russia's resolution with six abstentions, four votes against the resolution and five votes in favour.

The countries against the resolution cited Russia's failure to condemn the acts of terror by Hamas and Moscow's refusal to single out the Gaza-based group for its attack on Israel that has killed at least 1,400 people.

Sequence of events

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The UN Security Council convened to discuss 'Situation in Middle East, including the Palestinian question'. Prior to the UNSC meet, the Russian mission in the United Nations had distributed the draft resolution copies whose text called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The resolutioncondemned "all acts of terror", but did not mention Hamas.

Brazil, the president of UN Security Council this month, had put into discussion another draft resolution that condemned "shameful terrorist acts by Hamas".

But shortly after the council convened on Monday, the United Arab Emirates — also a signatory of Abraham Accords with Israel — intervened to prevent a potential showdown between two resolutions. The Council reconvened after closed-door consultations, following which Russia presented its resolution.

According to the council proceedings seen by WION, the second resolution proposed by Brazil that condemned Hamas appeared to have broader support as reflected in the post-vote statements of the member states. It, however,did not go to vote.

How Russian resolution for ceasefire failed to get through?

The Russian representative Vassily Nebenzia presented the resolution by stating that Moscow "condemns the deaths of Israeli civilians as well as the civilians in the Gaza strip. We condemn all violence and all terrorist attacks."

The vote by show of hands in the Council resulted in the rejection of the Russian resolution.

Five countries, including China, voted in favour of the resolution.

Four countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and France, voted against the resolution. There were six abstentions in total.

The United States representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield claimed that Russia brought up the resolution without due consultations with the member states. "By failing to condemn Hamas, Russia is giving cover to a terrorist group that brutalises innocent civilians."

The United Kingdomrepresentative Barbara Woodward said that the Russian resolution failed because it did not condemn "terrorist attacks by Hamas".

The representative of the United Arab Emirates Lana Nusseibeh, who supported Russian resolution, called out "unjustifiable Hamas attacks on 7th October" but said that Israel's demand for over a million Gazans to shift from north to south is "unjustifiable and unmetable."

Ceasefire resolution leads to Israel-Palestine showdown in UNSC

Israel's Gilad Erdan said the Security Council, which has not adopted a resolution on the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories since 2016, stood at "one of its most pivotal crossroads" since its founding.

"Will the council support the fight for civilisation? or will it incentivise the genocide of Jihadists who aim to murder all the infidels?," he said.

"For a body dedicated to security, this shouldn't even be a question."

"The first step this council must take before any calls for aid, calm or restraint is to designate Hamas as the murderous terror organisation that it is."

Israeli representative described Hamas' stated goals against Israel as "Hitler's Mein Kampf on steroids".

Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour said the council had a moral duty to act in a bid to restrain an Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip he said was claiming 12 lives every hour.

"What is happening in Gaza is not a military operation. It is a full scale assault against our people. It is massacreagainst innocent civilians."

Israel has cut off supplies of water and power to the isolated Gaza strip, and warned more than a million people to leave the north of the densely populated landlocked region.

The UN has warned that theGaza Strip faces an "unprecedented human catastrophe" if water and other vital supplies are not restored.

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