US resolution passes despite strong criticism from Russia, China
We expected China and Russia to be very vocal in their criticism because they have been signalling that they were very much against this draft resolution that has now been adopted.
The only question was were Russia and China going to veto it. They decided not to. They abstained and let it pass.
We heard the Russian ambassador say this is no day of celebration for the Security Council, and he said the integrity of the council is now in question. We heard from the Chinese ambassador saying the resolution that was adopted was vague and unclear. And with the Board of Peace, he said there was no indication of structure, of how it would actually operate or how it would be composed.
Both Russia and China are saying that they, the council, were asked to endorse the Trump 20-point peace plan and that this isn’t what the Security Council is here to do – simply endorse peace plans by other countries – but to approve resolutions rooted in international law. And they say this definitely wasn’t it.
Both Russia and China are saying there are simply not enough details in this resolution for the Security Council to adopt it. The council did do that, however, with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions.
Resolution vague on details but reflects US power
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, says the resolution just adopted by the Security Council is vague on detail and shows the US still holds considerable influence.
“Clearly, this is the easy part, the voting. The hard part has just started, which is the implementation, especially when the document is so vague on so many levels,” Bishara said.
Bishara noted that the dynamics for implementation remain unclear and “the calendar is not even there” despite the many phases included in the plan.
“American power has won at the end of the day here today at the United Nations,” he added.
US envoy says vote against resolution would have seen ‘return to war’
We have more from Mike Waltz, the US envoy to the UN.
He told reporters outside the Security Council chamber that the adoption of the US resolution was the “first real step in generations” towards “lasting peace” in Gaza and the region. He noted that the agreement had the support of Muslim-majority nations as well as the Palestinian Authority and that Israel, too, had “indicated that we could move forward”.
So the US, he said, then asked the rest of the Security Council “how could you stand against it?”
Walz also said the US made clear to Security Council members that voting against the resolution would have seen a return to war.
“I want to be clear, the United States made it clear, President Trump, Secretary Rubio, my good friend Jared Kushner, special envoy Witkoff, we all made it clear that a vote against this resolution was a vote to return to war,” Waltz said.
Mafia tactics, plain and simple.
