UN Security Council passes US-backed Gaza cease-fire proposal

The U.N. Security Council voted in favor of a U.S.-backed proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza on Monday.

The 15-member council negotiated over the deal for more than a week prior to Monday’s vote. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield praised the outcome as a “vote for peace.” Both Hamas and Israel have indicated that they favor the proposal.

“Yesterday, the UN Security Council called on Hamas to accept the deal on the table, which would end the fighting in Gaza. What is needed – now more than ever – is a ceasefire with the release of hostages. Israel has already accepted this deal. Now, the ball is in Hamas’ court,” Thomas-Greenfield wrote in a Tuesday statement.

The proposal passed with a unanimous 14-0 vote, with Russia abstaining.

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The cease-fire proposal calls for a three-phase process leading to the end of Israel’s war in Gaza, beginning with the exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

The second phase would see a negotiated end to the war and Israel withdrawing from Gaza. The third phase would cover the rebuilding of Gaza.

While Biden’s administration says Israel has accepted the deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not acknowledged that publicly. Thomas-Greenfield noted the discrepancy in a Monday interview with NPR.

“He hasn’t said [he accepts], for reasons that I am not… that I can’t get into here,” she said.

A senior Hamas official confirmed the cease-fire deal on Tuesday. Sami Abu Zuhri said Hamas is ready to negotiate over the details, adding that it was up to Washington to ensure that Israel abides by it.

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“The U.S. administration is facing a real test to carry out its commitments in compelling the occupation to immediately end the war in an implementation of the U.N. Security Council resolution,” Abu Zuhri said.

Osama Hamdan, another senior Hamas leader, echoed calls for a permanent cease-fire and said the group is ready for a fair prisoner exchange deal, but he said the U.N. resolution has flaws and that Secretary of State Antony Blinken “is one of the obstacles to reaching an agreement because he acts solely according to ‘Israel’s’ wishes.”

“The resolution contains points we do not accept, but its main aspects are positive,” Hamdan said. “The Security Council resolution will not take effect on the ground unless the occupation agrees to it.”

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