The United Nations Security Council has once again postponed – until this Friday – the vote on a draft resolution aimed at improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The latest version of the text has been significantly weakened after removing any calls for an immediate halt to the fighting, but the likelihood of its adoption has increased with Washington's endorsement.
The postponement came after two closed-door consultation sessions yesterday without reaching a consensus that would prevent the United States from objecting to the project and using its veto power against it.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, stated that her country could support the amended Security Council draft resolution on humanitarian aid to Gaza if it were put to vote in its current form.
Thomas-Greenfield did not specify whether her country would vote in favor of the project or abstain, but she said the current draft resolution could be supported and that it would provide aid to those who need it and establish a mechanism on the ground to facilitate aid delivery.
"We have worked hard this week with the UAE, others, and with Egypt to come to a decision we can support," the U.S. Ambassador remarked.
She added, "The draft resolution has not been weakened… It is very strong and has full support from the Arab Group."
A Different Text
Al Jazeera obtained the latest version of the draft resolution discussed by the Security Council regarding the expansion and monitoring of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The new text is the result of strenuous negotiations conducted under the American threat of using the veto again, and it no longer resembles the original version presented by the UAE to the Security Council on Sunday.
The draft now calls for immediate, urgent steps to allow instant access to aid and to create conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.
The previous version called for an immediate suspension of combat activities and urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of combat.
While the Security Council has been engaged in difficult negotiations over this text for several days, it faces widespread criticism for its inaction since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas.
The vote, which was originally scheduled for Monday, has been postponed several times, including last evening.
On December 8th, the United States exercised its veto power against a previous draft resolution that called for a "humanitarian ceasefire" in this besieged sector.
