UNITED NATIONS, United States – The United Nations (UN) Security Council will vote on Monday on a new resolution calling for an “urgent and sustained cessation of hostilities” in Gaza, as Washington shows growing impatience with key ally Israel.

The vote comes days after the United States blocked an earlier Security Council resolution that would have called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the troubled Palestinian territories, where Israel launched its deadly attacks in retaliation for Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack continues.

But in the General Assembly, the 193 U.N. members voted overwhelmingly for a ceasefire, with 153 voting in favor – more than the roughly 140 countries that have routinely supported resolutions condemning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The upcoming Security Council resolution was introduced by Arab countries, which came away with broad international support in last Tuesday’s General Assembly vote. However, the fate of the latest text remains uncertain.

The new draft, drawn up by the United Arab Emirates and seen by AFP, calls for an “urgent and sustained cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.”

It also reiterates support for a two-state solution in the region and “emphasizes the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.”

In a move criticized by Israel and the United States, the draft does not specifically name Hamas but calls for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and condemns “all indiscriminate attacks on civilians.”

“PROTECT CIVILIANS”

The Security Council has faced sharp international discontent for only managing to pass a single resolution on Gaza since the start of the war, in which the 15-member body called for “humanitarian pauses” – after rejecting five other resolutions, including two resolutions of thanks to American vetoes.

Diplomatic sources said negotiations on the new text continued on Sunday to avoid another impasse, days after US President Joe Biden warned that Israel risked losing international support because of its “indiscriminate” bombing of the Gaza Strip.

“The United States should now support these words by acting at the United Nations Security Council to pressure Israel and Palestinian armed groups to comply with international humanitarian law and protect civilians,” said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch He told Washington: “Do not use veto to block resolutions aimed at stopping mass atrocities.”

Security Council resolutions are technically binding, but are often ignored by the countries involved.

According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, about 18,800 people, mostly civilians and children, have died since the Israeli bombing began in Gaza in retaliation for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which Israel said killed 1,139 people, too Mostly civilians, lives were lost and around 250 people were kidnapped.

“In the face of such atrocities, there is only one moral position, one defensible position: ceasefire now, ceasefire now, ceasefire now,” Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said on Friday.

But his Israeli counterpart Gilad Erdan responded: “Calling for a ceasefire now while (hostages) are still being held is the most immoral thing.”