UN resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza: anger from Israel, hope and caution among the Palestinians
Washington downplays it, but Israel remains furious. If the call for a ceasefire in Gaza was voted on Monday March 25 at the UN, it is because the United States did not veto it. Since October, the Biden administration has served as a shield at the UN against resolutions deemed too unfavorable to the Jewish state, but after turning a deaf ear too often to American requests, Israel seems to have been abandoned by Washington. This vote caused a real open crisis between Israel and its main ally while for the Palestinians, it is a sign of a first hope even if many uncertainties exist.
In front of the morgue of Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, in the Gaza Strip, Monday March 25, 2024. AP - Abdel Kareem Hana
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It only took a few minutes for
Benyamin Netanyahu
to show his dissatisfaction publicly by canceling the trip to Washington of a delegation of his close collaborators, reports our correspondent in New York,
Carrie Nooten
. The White House said it was “
surprised
” by this reaction, and denied any major change of direction.
And to prove his good faith, the visit program of the Israeli Minister of Defense, who was already on American soil, was even expanded. Washington also tried to downplay the scope of this resolution by asserting that it was not binding and that it will in no way hinder Israel's ability to fight Hamas - which is false, since any Council resolution constitutes international law that the parties involved are expected to respect.
But whatever it says, the Biden administration has shown in recent days that it is no longer ready to follow Israel in its increasingly marked isolation. And ultimately, it was not so much the ingratitude of Benyamin Netanyahu that made him change his mind, but the deterioration of the conditions of
Gazans
, and especially the pressure from dissatisfied Democratic voters, a few months before the presidential election. .
Everything will depend on the political force that the Biden administration will bring into their relationship with Israel to enforce this resolution and ensure that the government accepts the imposition of an immediate ceasefire.
00:47
François Dubuisson, professor of international law at the Free University of Brussels
Nicolas Falez
Read alsoThe UN Security Council adopts a resolution for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza
Hope but also uncertainty in Gaza and the West Bank
As soon as the resolution was announced, reports
Alice Froussard
, RFI correspondent in Ramallah, there were cries of joy in the south of the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, this city where a million and a half displaced people are crowded. For many, a ceasefire - even if only for the duration of Ramadan - would mean a return to their homes, better delivery of humanitarian aid, and therefore food.
But these feelings of joy are also mixed with uncertainty. Is this really going to happen? Gazans therefore prefer to remain cautiously optimistic. “
If this failed, it would neither be the first nor the last UN resolution not to be applied
,” said a displaced person by telephone. “
Yes, we saw the information (…) On paper there is reason to rejoice but in reality, it risks not being respected
”, fears Asma, a Palestinian from Khan Younès, currently a refugee in Rafah, joined by
Sami Boukhelifa
, our correspondent in Jerusalem. “
I don’t think the Israelis will implement this decision. People here want the war to end. Everyone wants it and me too, because the situation is getting harder and harder.
» “
Resolution or not, we are living on borrowed time
,” said Asma. “
As long as Hamas exists, the Israelis will not stop. And even if they stop for two weeks until the end of Ramadan, they will resume afterwards.
» “
Because no resolution has ever stopped the Hebrew State
,” regrets Asma. “
For more than half a century, the UN has condemned Israel's illegal occupation and colonization of the Palestinian Territories and yet the Jewish State has always enjoyed total impunity
,” she continues.
In the West Bank, many believe that this decision has taken too long. “
It must be put in place immediately to put an end to the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza
,” explains a former Palestinian diplomat who would rather see the requirement for a permanent ceasefire. And in New York, the Palestinian Ambassador reiterated: Security Council resolutions are binding. Before warning: “
if Israel does not want to implement them, then it is the duty of the Security Council to use chapter 7 to take measures, and punitive measures, in order to force them to obey this resolution
.”
Also read: Jean-Pierre Delomier: “In Gaza today, we can clearly speak of famine”
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