At the UN on Tuesday, the US emphasized that “there must be no forcible displacement nor a policy of starvation in Gaza” by Israel, cautioning that such actions would have serious repercussions under both US and international law.
Just hours prior, Washington asserted that its ally, Israel, was adequately addressing the humanitarian situation in Israel to avoid potential restrictions on US military assistance. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield followed this with statements.
“However, Israel needs to make sure that its measures are carried out completely and that its advancements are maintained over time,” Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council.
She added that it was crucial that Israel immediately halt the enforcement of a law that would have prevented UNRWA, a Palestinian aid organization, from operating.
There is a “strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas” of northern Gaza as Israel continues its military offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the region, according to a report by international hunger experts that the council discussed.
“Most of Gaza is now a wasteland of rubble,” Joyce Msuya, the acting UN aid chief, informed the council. “”As I brief you, Israeli authorities are blocking humanitarian assistance from entering North Gaza, where fighting continues, and around 75,000 people remain with dwindling water and food supplies,” she continued.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, described Israel’s efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and dismissed the famine warning issued by the world hunger experts as “simply false.”
“I implore everyone to think about the facts. Examine carefully what Israel is doing on the ground. Danon addressed the council: “Think about the risks our soldiers take to fulfill these humanitarian commitments, often in the face of active threats.”
Slovenia’s ambassador to the UN, Samuel Zbogar, stated that the Security Council must act.
Over a year into the conflict, we cannot believe promises that every effort is being made to protect Gaza’s civilian population. He informed the council, “This is just not true.”
Currently under consideration by the UN Security Council is a draft resolution that “demands an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire to be respected by all parties” in Gaza.
It further “demands the facilitation of full, rapid, safe, and unhindered entry of humanitarian assistance at scale to and throughout the Gaza Strip and its delivery to all Palestinian civilians who need it.”
Negotiations with the permanent five veto-wielding members—Russia, China, the United States, Britain, and France—began in early November after the ten elected members of the council finished draughting the text.
Russia and China supported the draft text on Tuesday and demanded an immediate vote. To pass, a resolution must receive at least nine votes and be free of vetoes.
