On June 10, led by the United States, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting and adopted a resolution supporting a three-stage ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip. South Korea’s ambassador to the UN and the chairman of the Security Council, Hwang Joon Kook, held an official meeting on the afternoon of June 10 to adopt a resolution related to the Gaza Strip. The meeting was not originally scheduled but was later set as part of the agenda due to its urgency.
The resolution was passed with 14 out of 15 council member nations in favor, with Russia abstaining.
For a resolution to pass through the Security Council, it needs the support of at least 9 out of 15 member nations. None of the five permanent members (the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France) exercised their veto power.
Drafted by the United States, the resolution urges the Palestinian armed group Hamas to accept a three-stage ceasefire plan and calls on both Israel and Hamas to implement the negotiation contents without delay and unconditionally. Previously, U.S. President Joe Biden held an emergency meeting on May 31 and unveiled a three-stage ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip.
The three-stage ceasefire plan consists of the following:
- Phase 1: A complete ceasefire for six weeks, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of some hostages (women, elderly, injured).
- Phase 2: The exchange of all surviving hostages and the cessation of permanent hostile actions by the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
- Phase 3: The implementation of significant reconstruction plans in the Gaza Strip and the repatriation of the bodies of deceased hostages to their families.
The plan includes a complete and safe ceasefire in the first phase, a permanent end to hostile actions according to an agreement between the parties in the second phase, and finally, the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip.
The U.S. explains that if such an agreement is implemented, the following plans would be possible:
- Immediate ceasefire
- Hostage release
- The first phase with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas
- Immediate expansion of humanitarian aid and restoration of essential services
- The return of Palestinian residents to the northern Gaza Strip
- A roadmap to end the crisis
- A possible multi-year international support reconstruction plan
After the resolution was adopted, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said in a statement, “Today we voted for peace,” adding, “The Security Council has sent a clear message to Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal. Israel has already agreed to the proposal, and if Hamas also agrees, the fighting can stop even today.”
Thomas-Greenfield further urged Israel and Hamas to “fully implement the resolution content without delay or conditions.”
Algerian Ambassador to the UN and the only Arab council member Amar Bendjama criticized the resolution as “not perfect” but stated, “We supported the resolution because it represents a step forward toward an immediate and lasting ceasefire.”
Bendjama said, “This resolution will offer a faint hope as an alternative to the Palestinian people amidst the ongoing killings and suffering,” adding, “It’s time to stop the killings.”
The New York Times (NYT) evaluated that with the passage of this resolution, the Security Council has given a diplomatic victory to the U.S., which had previously exercised its veto power against three ceasefire resolutions.
According to the NYT, the U.S. asked council member nations to trust that Israel had accepted the proposal during the negotiation process but did not include a precise phrase in the resolution stating that Israel had received the negotiation.
Russia, China, and Algeria reportedly questioned during private negotiations whether Israel had accepted this ceasefire proposal and expressed the view that the draft resolution was too favorable to Israel.
In the end, the draft that the U.S. pushed for a vote included a statement that Israel had already accepted the U.S. proposal and urged Hamas to accept this negotiation and for both sides to implement it fully and unconditionally.
Media outlets reported that Hamas welcomed the Security Council’s adoption of the resolution and is ready to cooperate with mediating countries to implement the ceasefire proposal.