France proposes another draft resolution at UN Security Council for Gaza ceasefire
May 20, 2021
Paris [France], May 20 : The French mission to the United Nations circulated a draft resolution to members of the Security Council on Tuesday that calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza despite objections from the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office announced the matter following a trilateral meeting with Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who is currently visiting Paris, and Jordan's King Abdullah II, who joined via video conference,The Times of Israel reported.
"The three countries agreed on three simple elements: The shooting must stop, the time has come for a ceasefire and the UN Security Council must take up the issue," the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
In addition to demanding an immediate end to the violence, the core of the resolution's text stresses the urgent need for humanitarian assistance to Gaza, a Security Council diplomat told The Times of Israel.
US President Joe Biden has told Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he expects "significant de-escalation" in the Israel-Hamas conflict, adding to the growing international pressure to end the fighting, as per The New York Times.
France is leading efforts to call for a cease-fire at the United Nations Security Council, but it remains unclear when a resolution will be put to a vote. Israel and Hamas have signalled a willingness to reach a cease-fire, diplomats privy to the discussions say, but that has not reduced the intensity of the deadliest fighting in Gaza since 2014.
At least 227 people in Gaza have been killed, including 64 children, and 1,620 have been wounded as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israeli airstrikes and shelling have destroyed or damaged homes, roads, and medical facilities across the territory. Hamas continued to fire rockets into Israeli towns on Wednesday, sending people scurrying for shelter.
More than 4,000 rockets have been fired from Gaza since the conflict began, according to the Israeli military, killing at least 12 Israeli residents.
