After weeks of wrangling between global powers while Gaza moves closer to the brink of starvation, it’s a relief to see the US abstain rather than veto this resolution.
Responding to the vote at the UN Security Council today, Riham Jafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine, said:
“After weeks of wrangling between global powers while Gaza moves closer to the brink of starvation, it’s a relief to see the US abstain rather than veto this resolution. But with the lives of 2.3 million people at stake, it’s disappointing to see a watered-down concession that neither offers an end to hostilities nor an urgent scale-up of aid.
“The promise of lifesaving aid is welcome but without a ceasefire, it cannot be delivered safely and at scale. People in Gaza need the bombs to stop and for the war to end now but instead the resolution kicks attempts to reach a ceasefire into the long grass.
“As we have repeatedly said: there is little sense in providing aid to people one day, only to start bombing them again the next. We urge the UN Security Council to take seriously its mandate to maintain peace and promote human rights, by demanding a permanent ceasefire – the only way to prevent further senseless loss of life and enable enough life-saving humanitarian aid to reach those who need it.”