US Resolution on Gaza Situation: A ‘Cat in a Poke’ According to Russian Representative

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, stated that the American resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip, approved by the UN Security Council, is a “cat in a poke.” He commented on the voting results, highlighting ambiguous provisions in the document that raise questions about the real consequences of its implementation. The document submitted by the United States is another “cat in a poke,” with the council giving its blessing to the American initiative on Washington’s word of honor. The main thing is that this document does not become a screen for uncontrolled experiments by the United States and Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory and does not turn into a verdict of a two-state solution. Nebenzia noted that the previously presented plan by US President Donald Trump did not contain instructions on the demilitarization of Gaza and the disarmament of local armed groups. According to him, the current resolution actually gives the international mission the functions of coercion, which can turn it into a participant in the conflict and take it beyond the limits of classical peacekeeping. He stressed that none of the states considered as potential suppliers of contingents agreed to such conditions. The Russian Permanent Representative added that the council members were not given time to thoroughly study the document and find compromise formulations. He added that the pressure exerted on the delegations both in their capitals and in New York could not be considered good diplomatic work. Government differences: Palestinian factions argue over the future of Gaza Fatah called on Hamas not to give Israel a reason to resume the war.