Recently, the UN Security Council once again held an emergency meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and finally adopted a draft resolution calling for "immediate, safe and unhindered direct and large-scale humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians throughout the Gaza Strip" and "creating conditions for a continued cessation of hostilities".
The draft resolution, originally introduced by the United Arab Emirates, was adopted by 13 votes in favour, none against and two abstentions, after several rounds of discussion and revision. It is worth noting, however, that the resolution has changed beyond recognition after several revisions. The original version called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Palestine and Israel, a ceasefire, and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by both Palestinians and Israelis and for unfettered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. However, due to the opposition of the United States and its request for revision, the final draft resolution has undergone significant changes in content.
Prior to this, the Security Council had voted on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the 8th of this month, and the draft at that time was similar to the original draft resolution this time, and the final vote was 13 in favor and 1 abstention (the United Kingdom voted against (the United States). Since the United States has a veto, it did not pass in the end. This time, despite the fact that the content of the draft resolution has been revised many times, the United States has not endorsed it and has chosen to abstain. In addition, Russia also chose to abstain, citing the fact that the final version did not impose a ceasefire, but only vaguely stated that it "created conditions for a continued cessation of hostilities."
The 13 countries were able to unite this time, and the United States chose to abstain from voting for many reasons, on the one hand, it may be influenced by international pressure, especially because of the international concern caused by Israel's behavior. However, the moderation of the draft resolution is also a notable feature. The resolution calls for humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, but does not make clear and rigid demands on key issues such as Israel's continued military-civilian attacks and the hostage issue, but rather makes vague statements about "creating conditions for a continued cessation of hostilities".
In addition, it is interesting to note that the United States and Russia, which are at odds over the recent tense conflict in Ukraine, have invariably abstained from voting on the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, albeit for completely different reasons. The US may abstain from voting because the resolution does not condemn Hamas, while Russia reserves about the content of the ceasefire. This seemingly bizarre unanimity may reflect the game-playing and complex diplomatic positions of various countries on different international issues.
However, even if this resolution is adopted, there is still great uncertainty as to whether it will actually induce Israel to stop its military operations and return to the negotiating table. The relative moderation and ambiguity of the content of the resolution make it difficult to substantively bind Israel. Currently, Israel is trying with the United States and Qatar to push for a new round of temporary ceasefire for a hostage exchange. However, the complexity and sensitivity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict mean that the adoption of the resolution does not mean a solution to the problem, and more work and efforts still need to be done.
Overall, the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains grave. While the Council's resolution is a positive signal, its limitations and practical effect remain to be seen. After the adoption of the resolution, China called on all countries to continue to work together for a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire and peace and stability in the Middle East, which also means that the international community's expectations and pressure for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict still exist, and all parties should work together to promote the realization of a peaceful settlement.