UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States on Monday urged the U.N. Security Council to support the three-phase plan announced by President Joe Biden to end the nearly eight-month war in Gaza, free all the hostages and send massive aid to the devastated areas. territory.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States had circulated a draft resolution to the other 14 council members to support the proposal to end the conflict that began with Hamas’ surprise attack in the southern Israel on October 7, which killed some 1,200 people, most of them Israelis. civilians.
“Many leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan and we call on the Security Council to join them in calling for the implementation of this agreement without delay and without further conditions,” he said. -she declared in a press release.
The brief draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, would welcome the May 31 agreement announced by Biden and call on Hamas “to accept it fully and implement its terms without delay and without conditions.” Hamas said it viewed the proposal “positively.”
It makes no mention of Israeli acceptance of the deal.
When Biden made the announcement, he called it an Israeli offer that includes a “lasting ceasefire” and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza if Hamas releases all the hostages it is holding.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Told his hardline government partners on Monday that the proposal announced by Biden would achieve Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas, according to local media. Ultranationalists threatened to overthrow his government if Netanyahu agreed to a deal that did not eliminate Hamas.
Netanyahu told the House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that Biden had given the outline of the deal but not all the details, and he said there were “gaps.”
Biden said the first phase of the proposed deal would last six weeks and include a “total and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of some hostages, including women, the elderly and the elderly. the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The American hostages would be released at this point and the remains of the killed hostages would be returned to their families. There would be an increase in humanitarian aidwith 600 trucks per day entering Gaza.
In the second phase, all other living hostages would be released, including the soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. Biden said that if Hamas follows through on its commitments, the temporary ceasefire would become a “permanent cessation of hostilities.”
About 250 people, mostly Israeli civilians, were kidnapped on October 7, then more than 100 were released during a short truce in late November and early December. Israel says around 80 hostages remain captive, alongside the remains of approximately 43 other people.
Israeli bombings and ground offensives in Hamas-ruled Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Healthwhich does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The third phase of the plan announced by Biden calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding after the devastation caused by the war.
The draft resolution highlights the importance of Israel and Hamas adhering to the agreement once it is concluded, “with the aim of achieving a permanent cessation of hostilities, and calls on all member states and the United Nations to support its implementation.
The draft would also reiterate the Council’s “unwavering commitment” to a two-state solution and emphasize the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.
Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador, said Security Council members “consistently called for the measures outlined in this agreement: to bring the hostages home, to ensure a complete ceasefire, to allow an influx of aid humanitarian aid in Gaza and the refurbishment of essential services, and prepare the ground for a long-term reconstruction plan for Gaza.
“Council members should not let this opportunity pass,” she said. “We must speak with one voice to support this agreement. »
On Monday, the foreign ministers of five key Arab countries – Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt – urged Israel and Hamas to consider Biden’s proposal “seriously and positively” .
The Group of Seven major industrialized nations – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy – also backed the ceasefire plan.
News Source : apnews.com
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