Israeli government won’t be happy with UN vote: Ex-official
“I don’t think Israel’s government will not be happy to hear the result about the UN Security Council’s vote. I think the Israeli government is taken by surprise,” Alon Liel, former director of Israel’s foreign ministry, told Al Jazeera.
Liel said most analysts predicted Russia would veto the US-proposed resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an immediate Gaza ceasefire. “I think there will be a very hectic morning discussing it tomorrow,” he said.
Liel added that the key country to pressure Israel to implement the UN’s ceasefire resolution is not the United States, but Egypt. “Egypt is now in a position to put enormous pressure on Israel to end the war. The war every day is coming closer to the Egyptian border, deeper into Rafah, with refugees going into Egypt,” said Liel.
‘Press Hamas,’ reiterates Antony Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says all governments in the Middle East should press Hamas to say “yes” to the ceasefire with Israel.
“If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering in Gaza, to get all the hostages home, to put Israelis and Palestinians on the path to durable peace — then press Hamas to say yes to the ceasefire,” he said.
Hamas released a statement welcoming the United Nations resolution shortly after it passed, and said it’s ready to work with mediators to implement it.
You need to press Israel but whatever.
The US will have to withhold weapon shipments and place sanctions by the looks of it. Israel is still incapable of looking in the mirror.
Israel committed to its goals to see war through, says envoy
Israel is committed to its goals of freeing captives held in Gaza, destroying Hamas’s governing and military capabilities, and ensuring Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to Israel in the future, says UN representative Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly.
She made the comments after the UN Security Council unanimously voted for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. All Hamas needs to do to stop the war is put done its weapons and surrender, she added.
“Once these goals are met, the war will end. Not one more shot needs to be fired yet, sadly, for the past eight months, Hamas has refused,” she said.
“Israel will not engage in meaningless and endless negotiations, which can be exploited by Hamas as a means to stall for time,” said Ben Naftaly, the political coordinator for Israel’s mission to the UN.
“The time has come for this council to finally hold Hamas accountable, to finally place the blame where it belongs, to finally condemn terror.”
"Burden is on the Israeli side" to implement UN-backed ceasefire deal, Palestinian ambassador to UN says
The Palestinian Authority welcomes the resolution approved by the United Nations Security Council on Monday, but it is in Israel’s hands to implement it, Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour said.
The resolution is a “step in the right direction” and welcomed by “all Palestinians,” Mansour said.
“We want a ceasefire”, he said, adding the “burden is on the Israeli side to implement this resolution and to have the ceasefire immediately in place and have the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and make this ceasefire a permanent ceasefire.”
The UN resolution says Israel has accepted the proposal.
Regarding the possibility of Hamas accepting or rejecting the deal, the Palestinian official said he “did not hear any Palestinian [say] anything but to welcome this resolution.”
