After days of intense negotiations and threats to veto unsatisfactory measures, the United States abstained from voting on Friday as the United Nations Security Council passed a major resolution to address Israel's ongoing war against Hamas in the densely occupied Gaza Strip.
Initially drafted by the United Arab Emirates, the resolution calls for "urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access." Earlier versions of the measure included language demanding an "urgent cessation" of violence, against the wishes of the United States and Israel, which have held out against a blanket cease-fire over the past 11 weeks of violence. The approved measure came only after the U.S. "countered with 'a more passive formulation,'” one American official explained to CNN, adding that "Israel is aware and can live with it." The U.S. had already used its permanent position on the Security Council to veto earlier cease-fire resolutions, putting it "increasingly at odds with other major powers and with the Arab world," according to The New York Times.
"We know this is not a perfect text," UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh told the paper. "We know only a cease-fire will stop the suffering."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 critical cartoons about the proposed Russia-Ukraine peace dealCartoons Artists take on talking turkey, Putin's puppet, and more
-
Could Trump run for a third term?The Explainer Constitutional amendment limits US presidents to two terms, but Trump diehards claim there is a loophole
-
Political cartoons for November 28Cartoons Friday's political cartoons include economic diagnosis, climate distractions, and more
-
Pentagon targets Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ videoSpeed Read The Pentagon threatened to recall Kelly to active duty
-
American antisemitismFeature The world’s oldest hatred is on the rise in U.S. Why?
-
A crowded field of Democrats is filling up the California governor’s raceIn the Spotlight Over a dozen Democrats have declared their candidacy
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Comey grand jury never saw final indictmentSpeed Read This ‘drove home just how slapdash’ the case is, said The New York Times
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
