UN Security Council adopts draft resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza Strip

The UN Security Council this evening adopted a draft resolution submitted by the United States calling for ceasefire in Gaza Strip.

14 countries voted in favor of the resolution and one country abstained from voting.

The first phase of the resolution provides for an immediate and complete ceasefire accompanied by the release and exchange of prisoners, for the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from residential areas, for the return of Palestinians to their homes in all areas of Gaza Strip, for the safe effective and wide-scale distribution of humanitarian aid throughout Gaza Strip.

The second phase of the resolution includes the permanent stop of aggression against Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of all prisoners. It also includes the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza Strip.

The third phase of the resolution includes a plan to reconstruct Gaza Strip.

The resolution rejects any attempt to make a demographic or territorial change in Gaza Strip, including any measures that reduce the territory of the Strip.

Reacting to the resolution, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia affirmed that the resolution is ambiguous and the authors have not informed the UN Security Council about the details of the deal.

Algeria’s representative said that the Algerian people feel the suffering of the Palestinian people, and based on their history of struggle against colonial occupation, they absolutely understand and support the legitimate and just demands of the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian presidency affirmed in a statement that the Security Council’s resolution constitutes a step in the right direction to stop the ongoing war of extermination against the people in Gaza Strip, noting that the resolution is consistent with its calls for an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression, the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the entire Strip, the entry of aid, and the prevention of forced displacement.

For his part, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Fu Cong asserted the need to attain a permanent ceasefire in Gaza Strip being the most urgent need for the people there who are being subjected to bombing.

He stressed that all Security Council resolutions are binding and must be implemented in an effective and constructive way.

Hamda Mustafa