US preconditional resolution rejected at UN

A Chinese top ambassador to the United Nations on Friday said that a resolution forwarded by the US at the Security Council "sets up preconditions for a ceasefire" and gives "a green light to continued killings" and is "thus unacceptable".

"An immediate ceasefire is a fundamental prerequisite for saving lives, expanding humanitarian access, and preventing greater conflicts. The US draft, on the contrary, sets up preconditions for a ceasefire, which is no different from giving a green light to continued killings, and thus unacceptable," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN.

The Security Council on Friday failed to adopt a draft resolution from the US calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the Oct 7 attack by Hamas while makes no clear mention of Israel's responsibility for the deaths in Gaza.

The resolution received 11 votes in favor, three against from Russia, China and Algeria, and one abstention from Guyana.

"Any action taken by the Security Council should stand the test of history and the scrutiny of morality and conscience. With a view to safeguarding fairness and justice, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and the dignity of the Council, and also based on the concerns and strong opposition from the Arab states regarding this draft resolution, China together with Algeria and Russia have voted against the draft resolution," said Zhang.

The US resolution calls for "the imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire". The main issue raised by those against it is that the phrasing was "ambiguous".

The US drafted resolution has "always evaded and dodged the most essential issue, that is, a ceasefire", said Zhang.

"The final text remains ambiguous and does not call for an immediate ceasefire. Nor does it even provide an answer to the question of realizing a ceasefire in the short term. This is a clear deviation from the consensus of the Council members and falls far short of the expectations of the international community," he said.

"The draft is also very unbalanced in many other aspects, in particular, with regard to Israel's recent and repeated declarations of plan for a military offensive on Rafah, the draft does not clearly and unequivocally state its opposition, which would send an utterly wrong signal and lead to severe consequences," said Zhang.

More than 160 days have passed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, said Zhang, adding that more than 32,000 civilians have lost their lives and millions are suffering from famine.

"The most urgent action to be taken by the council is to promote an immediate, unconditional, and sustained ceasefire," Zhang said. He emphasized that the security council has "dragged its feet and wasted too much time in this regard".

China rejects the accusations by the US and the UK against China's voting position, he said. "Those are groundless accusations."

"If the US was serious about a ceasefire, it wouldn't have vetoed time and again multiple Council resolutions, and wouldn't have taken such a detour and played a game of words while being ambiguous and evasive on critical issues," said Zhang.

The US has vetoed many UN draft resolutions, two of which would have demanded an immediate cease-fire. Last month, the US vetoed an Algerian resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

"If the US is serious about a ceasefire, then please vote in favor of the other draft resolution clearly calling for a ceasefire, so that a ceasefire can be finally and immediately achieved, the Palestinians' sufferings ended, and hostages released at an early date. For the US at the current stage, what is most important is not words, but actions," said Zhang.

He said China will continue to work with Council members and the international community to "play a responsible and constructive role in order to achieve a ceasefire and put an end to the fighting, alleviate the suffering, implement the two-state solution, and promote a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the question of Palestine". 

Algeria's ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama on Friday said he was speaking not only as representative of Algeria also as a representative of the whole Arab world.

"The text presented today does not convey a clear message of peace," he said as he explained a shared opposition from Arab world to the US resolution. "Our core concerns remained unaddressed despite the many circulated revised versions," he said.

"We emphasized relentlessly the urgency of an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life. We echoed the demand of millions of people and humanitarian actors for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Regrettably, the draft resolution falls short of our expectations. It fails to adequately address these main issues and the immense suffering and enduring by the Palestinian people," Bendjama said.

Friday's vote came after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a UN-backed agency, reported on Monday that 70 percent of the population, or around 210,000 people, in northern Gaza are already suffering from "catastrophic" levels of hunger.