US Pushes UN Security Council to Support Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Plan
The United States proposed a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Monday, urging support for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan introduced by President Joe Biden last week and calling on Hamas to accept it. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield emphasized widespread regional support for the plan.
The draft resolution, reviewed by AFP, “welcomes the new deal announced on May 31 and calls upon Hamas to accept it fully and implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
Biden’s plan, outlined last Friday, includes three phases aimed at ending the conflict, freeing all hostages, and reconstructing Palestinian territories without Hamas in power. However, differences between the US and Israel emerged when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the war in Gaza would continue until all Israeli goals, including the destruction of Hamas’s military and governance, are met.
Questions arose in Israeli media about the coordination between Biden and Netanyahu regarding the ceasefire’s duration and the release of captives. Biden also urged Qatar’s emir to pressure Hamas to accept the ceasefire, labeling the group as “the only obstacle” to peace in Gaza.
Although Hamas initially viewed Biden’s plan positively, there has been no further official comment or announcement of new negotiations from mediators Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. Algeria had previously circulated a draft resolution for an immediate ceasefire, which Washington dismissed in favor of direct negotiations.
No vote is scheduled for either resolution, and the UN Security Council has struggled to unify its stance since the conflict began with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, followed by Israel’s retaliatory actions. Despite previous resolutions calling for humanitarian aid and a ceasefire, the council remains divided.
