Will Israeli Defiance of International Laws Continue Despite UNSC Resolution on Gaza War?

 

The draft resolution, which was presented by the US , was voted on Monday night in the open session of the Security Council, and finally was adopted with 14 positive votes and one abstention from Russia.

 

 Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US envoy to the UN, said following the adoption of the resolution that "we voted today in favor of peace."

 

According to the announced details, the implementation process of this resolution will be three stages.

 

In the first phase, this plan calls for an initial 6-week ceasefire and prisoner swap between Israel and resistance groups in Gaza. The resolution states that if the negotiations in the first phase last more than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue as long as the negotiations continue.

 

The second phase will include a permanent ceasefire and the release of prisoners.

 

The third phase includes efforts to rebuild the devastated Gaza.

 

World welcomes the resolution 

 

The adoption of the ceasefire resolution in the Security Council met mostly satisfied reactions from the countries that considered it an important step in stopping the killing of the Palestinian people and that called for its implementation.

 

In the most important reaction, Hamas said it is ready to cooperate with the mediators to engage in indirect talks for implementing the terms of the resolution that are in line with the demands of the people and resistance. The resistance movement stated that it welcomes the resolution, which includes a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Strip, the swap of prisoners, the reconstruction of Gaza, return of Palestinians to their homes, opposition to any population change or reduction in the area of the Gaza Strip, and entry of humanitarian aid. 

 

For its part, the Islamic Jihad Movement in a statement said that it welcomes the resolution that guarantees ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. 

 

"The option of resistance is the only solution to impose the conditions of the Palestinian resistance on the occupiers and to make them give in to the demands of the nation and the Palestinian resistance," said Islamic Jihad statement. 

 

Also, the Palestinian Authority said that it supports any decision that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and preserves the unity of the Palestinian territories. 

 

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry welcomed the resolution and reiterated its request to the Israeli regime for fulfilling obligations in accordance with the provisions of international law and stopping the war it is waging against Gaza. The ministry also highlighted the need for serious action by international actors to build a political outlook for the implementation of the two-state solution because this it is the only guarantee of ending the crisis from the root and supporting the foundations of stability and coexistence in the region and the creation of an independent Palestinian state within 1967 borders with Eastern Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital. 

 

Also, the Arab League welcomed the adoption of a draft resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, stressed the need to immediately curb Israel's aggression, saying that the Security Council has been too late for fulfilling its responsibility and so allowed victimization of thousands of Palestinians.

 

Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, the Secretary-General of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council, in a statement said that adoption of this resolution will help cessation of Israeli aggression on Gaza and peace and security in the region. He said that the (P) GCC welcomes all the regional and international efforts in a way that protects the security and peace for the Palestinians. 

 

"The decisive positions of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council towards the Palestinian issue and their support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of 1967 with East Al-Quds as its capital are in accordance with the Arab peace plan and international legitimacy," said Al-Budaiwi. 

 

The European Union, in a statement welcoming the adoption of the resolution, asked Hamas and Israel to accept this resolution and implementation UNSC resolutions 2728, 2720 and 2712. The European Union also reiterated its readiness to help revive the political process to achieve lasting peace based on two-state solution and support international efforts to rebuild Gaza.

 

"We believe that this resolution is a step forward towards an immediate and permanent ceasefire. This [resolution] gives the Palestinians a ray of hope that the time has come to stop the killing," Algerian envoy to the UN said.

 

However, despite the agreement of 14 members, it seems that Russia is suspicious of the US'a goals and intentions behind this resolution. Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, responded to the question about what Israel has specifically agreed to, saying, "the Security Council should not sign agreements with vague criteria. We did not want to obstruct the resolution, because as far as we know, it has the support of the Arab world." 

 

Dim prospects of ceasefire 

 

Although the adoption of the resolution untied a difficult knot in the process of international efforts to stop the relentless crimes committed by the Israelis in Gaza, it seems that the problem is still not completely resolved. 

 

According to the principles of the Security Council, the draft resolution on non-executive matters is approved if 9 or more of the 15 members of the Council vote in favor of a resolution and if none of the five permanent members veto it. The resolutions of the Security Council are legally binding, but Israel has not committed to any of these resolutions, and the reason for this is the lack of a definitive structure on the part of the Security Council regarding the resolutions issued about Israel. 

 

The US claims that the Israeli regime has accepted this proposal, but the remarks of Israeli officials prove the opposite. 

 

Gilad Ardan, the envoy of the Israeli regime to the Security Council, in response to the ceasefire resolution opposed the ceasefire in Gaza, once again highlighted the Israeli push for return of prisoners and destruction of the military power of Hamas. 

 

"Israel will never return to the table of ceasefire negotiations, because Hamas may use it to kill time," Arden said.

 

Israel's senior diplomat Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly in the UNSC session said that the Israeli goals in Gaza have always been clear. Israel is committed to releasing all of prisoners, destroying all of Hamas military and administrative capabilities, and making sure that Gaza will pose no threat to Israel in the future. 

 

Negotiators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar have been trying for months to end the war in Gaza by signing ceasefire agreements. Hamas says it wants a permanent end to war and withdrawal of the Israel from this region with a population of 2.3 million people, but Tel Aviv officials claim that they will continue the war in Gaza until the complete destruction of Hamas, and therefore there is no clear prospect of stopping the conflict. In the viewpoint of hardline leaders in Tel Aviv, stopping the war in the current situation is a concession to Hamas and a great achievement to the Palestinians. 

 

Netanyahu is now facing a tough dilemma. On the one hand, he is under pressure of international community to end the occupation and aggression in Gaza and on the other hand he is being threatened everyday by cabinet hardliners that if he ends the war, they will withdraw the coalition which means end of his political life. So, since Netanyahu’s government has not made any special gain in the war and failed to free the prisoners and on the other side is under the blade of the hardliners and opposition, it is unlikely to agree to the UNSC resolution. 

 

Israeli officials in recent days have said that Biden's ceasefire proposal does not meet the Israeli interests. This issue at a time Benny Gantz and two other ministers in the war cabinet have left and called for early elections, according to political experts, can result in decrease of the Western supports to Netanyahu’s government. That is because the EU and the US which in the beginning were supporters of the Israeli crimes in Gaza now and amid mounting global criticism are seeking a ceasefire, and the insistence of the Tel Aviv radicals on war can upset Israeli relations with its Western backers.