Chicago – December 22, 2023
After days of negotiations, the U.S. signaled late Thursday it was ready to support a revised United Nations Security Council resolution urging delivery of crucial humanitarian aid into the battered Gaza Strip where roughly one in four people are starving.
An earlier draft brought forward by the United Arab Emirates called for a “cessation of hostilities,” later dialed back to a “suspension of hostilities.” A revised version would call for “creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
A vote on the revised resolution was not expected until Friday.
Seeking to avoid another U.S. veto, the 15-member council delayed voting multiple times since Monday to negotiate the language. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters after the consultations that the United States backs the new text, and if it is put to a vote the U.S. will support it.
Earlier this month, the U.S. vetoed a Security Council resolution supported by almost all council members and many other nations that called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. The General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution on Dec. 12 in a 153-10 vote with 23 abstentions.
