UN DK Supports Gaza Conflict Ceasefire Proposal, Israeli Ambassador: We Have Not Changed

Senior Israeli diplomat Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly. (Source: UN Photo/Evan Schneider)

JAKARTA - Israel's Representative to the United Nations (UN) said on Monday it would continue its operations in Gaza, not be involved in "meanless and endless negotiations" that it said Hamas would exploit.

Israel's senior diplomat Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly said this at a UN Security Council meeting following a vote to adopt a resolution proposed by the United States regarding the permanent ceasefire and the release of the hostages.

Ben-Naftaly stressed that Israel wants to "ensure Gaza is not a threat to Israel in the future" and its importance for Israel to fulfill its goals in Gaza, such as "bringing the hostages back home" and "unloading Hamas capabilities". Once these goals are achieved, "the war will end," he said.

"Israel stands firm in our principles and that has not changed, we will continue until all hostages are repatriated, until military capabilities and the Hamas administration are destroyed, this is our goal from day one," he said.

"Israel will not allow Hamas to arm itself or reunite so Gaza can pose a threat to Israel. This is an immovable goal that we want to achieve. It also means Israel will not engage in meaningless and endless negotiations, which Hamas could exploit as a means of procrastinating time," said Ben-Naftaly.

As previously reported, the United Nations Security Council on Monday supported a proposal for an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire in the Gaza Strip promoted by US President Joe Biden, urging Palestinian militants to accept an agreement aimed at ending the eight-month war.

A total of 14 UN DK members voted for a resolution in favor of a three-phase ceasefire plan set by President Biden on May 31. Meanwhile, Russia chose abstain from the vote.

The resolution welcomes a new ceasefire proposal, declaring Israel has accepted it, asking Hamas to agree to it, and "encourages both parties to fully implement its provisions without delay and unconditionally."

The resolution also detailed the proposal and explained that "if negotiations last longer than six weeks for the first phase, the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations continue."

It is known that the UN DK resolution voting mechanism requires at least nine votes to support, out of a total of 15 council members, without veto from one of the permanent members of the council consisting of the United States, Britain, China, Russia and France. The current 10 non-permanent member states consist of Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leona, Slovenia, and Switzerland.