Russia's Value Of The UN Security Council's Gaza Resolution Is Contrary To International Decisions

JAKARTA - Russia said on Tuesday the adoption of a resolution of the United States draft on the Gaza Strip by the UN Security Council contradicts international law decisions on the formation of a Palestinian State.

The Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution forming a transitional Peace Council and authorized the International Stabilization Forces (ISF) to oversee governance, reconstruction, and security efforts in the Gaza Strip.

Both will operate in Gaza until December 31, 2027, provided the Council will take further action.

This resolution was passed with 13 votes in favor, while Russia and China abstained.

Responding to the decision, Russia's Foreign Ministry said the resolution did not provide the Security Council with "prerogative rights needed to maintain peace and security."

In a press release, the Russian Foreign Ministry argued that the resolution contradicts "a general recognized international law decision regulating the formation of an independent and territorially adjacent Palestinian State within the 1967 border with its capital city in East Jerusalem, and living side by side peacefully and safely with Israel," Anadolu reported November 19.

Noting that Russia abstained in Monday's vote, taking into account the positions of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Arab and Muslim countries supporting the resolution, the statement further states that the abstainion aims to "avoid a repeat of violence and military action in Gaza."

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the war in Gaza could be stopped early if Washington did not exercise its veto rights against a draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, and noted that this (US veto) had been carried out six times over the past two years.

"The main thing at the moment is that this decision is not a cover for uncontrolled experiments in occupied Palestinian territories, and has not turned into a final verdict on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to determine their own destiny, or the aspirations of the Israeli people for security and peaceful coexistence in the region," the ministry said.

Earlier, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya explained Moscow's abstention by saying it was done because the plan ruled out Palestinian participation.

"There is no clarity in the draft regarding the schedule for the transfer of control over Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, nor is there any certainty regarding the International Peace Council and Stabilization Forces, which will be able to act fully autonomously, regardless of Ramallah's position and opinion," he told the Security Council after the vote.

The latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when a Palestinian militant group led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region, killing 1,200 people and another 251 being held hostage, according to Israeli calculations.

Meanwhile, since October 2023, nearly 69,500 Palestinians have been killed - mostly women and children - and more than 170,700 people injured by Israeli aggression that have destroyed much of the enclave.