WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed cautious optimism on Wednesday regarding the potential for the United States to support a new UN Security Council resolution on Gaza truce. The US, a critical ally of Israel, had previously vetoed two resolutions, rejecting calls for an end to Israel’s military campaign launched on October 7.
Addressing reporters in Washington, Blinken conveyed that the United States is engaging “in very good faith” with other countries, acknowledging the heightened tensions resulting from the previous vetoes. He stated, “We have been working this intensely. I have been on the phones about this for the last couple of days. I hope we can get to a good place.”
UN Security Council to Vote on Gaza Truce Resolution
Blinken highlighted that the primary point of contention revolves around humanitarian access, with Israel insisting on maintaining full control over supplies entering the blockaded Palestinian territory. He emphasized the resolution’s intended purpose as facilitating and expanding humanitarian assistance to Gaza, a goal the United States supports.
“We want to make sure that the resolution in what it calls for and requires actually advances that effort and does not do anything that could actually hurt the delivery of humanitarian assistance or make it more complicated,” Blinken asserted.
The Secretary of State argued that the US, applying diplomatic pressure behind the scenes, has achieved progress in recent days. This progress includes the arrival of commercial trucks and the opening of a second crossing into Gaza.
