4:29 p.m. ET, February 2, 2024
US UN ambassador firmly opposes Algerian draft resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza
From CNN’s Morayo Ogunbayo and Richard Roth
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US representative to the United Nations and president of the UN Security Council, expressed her views during a press conference after a meeting of the UN Security Council on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine at the United Nations Security headquarters on August 24, 2023, in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, informed reporters on Friday that the Algerian draft resolution urging a Gaza ceasefire does not apply enough pressure on Hamas. She emphasized the need to concentrate on the ongoing negotiations between the US and regional partners in the Middle East, such as Egypt and Qatar, rather than supporting the Algerian resolution.
“This draft resolution could jeopardize sensitive negotiations, disrupting the extensive diplomatic efforts aimed at securing the release of hostages and achieving a prolonged pause that Palestinian civilians and aid workers urgently require,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Thomas-Greenfield highlighted the two resolutions that the US is striving to enforce in the region, both addressing the humanitarian situation and urging a cessation of hostilities. She described the Algerian resolution as “untimely.”
However, she was unable to specify when the alternative resolutions might be put into effect, noting that “negotiations require time.”
“We are affording it that time. We are putting in the effort on the ground,” Thomas-Greenfield stated.
Thomas-Greenfield also acknowledged Israel’s role in supporting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“I believe the Israelis recognize that they have a responsibility to assist in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” she said.
While Thomas-Greenfield dismissed a query regarding the slow arrival of aid to Gaza, she agreed that the quantity of aid allowed into Gaza has been insufficient.
Thomas-Greenfield used the issue of aid to Gaza to underscore the urgency of a prompt investigation into the allegations against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), accused by Israel of harboring Hamas operatives on October 7.
She advocated for a non-UN entity to conduct an additional investigation of the agency alongside the UN’s probe.
