UN Security Council Passes Gaza Ceasefire Resolution

On March 25, the UN Security Council finally passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, to be implemented during the month of Ramadan and to end on April 9. The UNSC was able to pass the resolution because the United States did not exercise its veto power as it did on three other occasions, instead, it abstained. 14 out of 15 members of the UNSC voted in favor of the resolution, which was introduced by Mozambique. Russia attempted but failed to include an amendment which stipulated that the ceasefire must be “permanent.”

The vote took place hours after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrived in Washington, DC with a weapons wishlist. In response to the United States not exercising its veto power, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled the Israeli delegation’s visit to the White House. “The US retreated from its consistent position in the Security Council linking a ceasefire with the release of the hostages,” reads a statement by the Israeli prime minister’s office.

The US’s change of position, which ultimately made the ceasefire resolution possible for the very first time in the UNSC, is a major victory for the Palestine solidarity movement, which has been mobilizing to put pressure on the US government to end its unconditional support and facilitation of Israeli genocide in Gaza. This comes a few days after US President Joe Biden signed a massive spending package into law, which allocates another USD 3.8 billion to Israel in military aid, and halts funding to the UNRWA for one year. 

Within the United States, pro-Palestine activists have organized mobilizations of hundreds of thousands in the nation’s capital and in major cities across the country. Biden, who is running for reelection, is unable to carry out his campaign in a normal, public fashion because he has to outmaneuver pro-Palestine disruptors, who hound him at almost every single public appearance. 

This morning, protesters delivered piles of horse dung to the homes of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who facilitate the sale of weapons to Israel.