Ceasefire or pause? US and Russia poised for UN showdown on Israel-Gaza war
- The superpowers have put forward rival plans for UN Security Council resolutions to address shortages of food, water, medical supplies and electricity
- The US draft did not initially call for any pause, but was amended to do so in response to growing international pressure
The US and Russia have put forward rival plans at the United Nations to help Palestinian civilians caught in the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip: a humanitarian pause or a ceasefire.
Both countries seek UN Security Council resolutions to address shortages of food, water, medical supplies and electricity in Gaza. But the US has called for pauses to allow aid to enter Gaza, while Russia wants a humanitarian ceasefire.
A pause is generally considered less formal and shorter than a ceasefire. While the differences may seem semantic, the US proposal for pauses has grown out of an initial draft given to the 15-member council on Saturday that was staunchly pro-Israel, Washington’s long-time ally.
Russia announced on Tuesday that it could not support the US plan for action and put forward its own text that calls for a ceasefire, an idea backed by Arab states.
A council resolution needs at least nine votes and no vetos by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to be adopted. It was not immediately clear if or when the US and Russian draft resolutions could be put to a vote.
