Stephen Walt

BREAKING 1) We have just learnt from our informed and reliable sources that four out of the five permanent members of the Security Council, have informed the Algerian UN mission - Algeria being the state entrusted with drafting the Gaza resolution on behalf of the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council (E10) - of being on board with the E10 draft resolution. The draft demands in its 1st operative paragraph (OP1) for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. Algeria sent the P5 last Thursday a copy of the last draft revision for their consideration, and the only country that has not responded so far (at he time of writing this tweet) is the US. France, China and Russia have approved it, followed by the UK. Everyone is still waiting for Washington's response to the E10 draft. I am attaching below a copy of the ceasefire draft resolution. The US does not want the text to include CF (ceasefire) language, nor any mention of Chapter VII language according to our sources. Both CF and Chapter 7 languages were present in the original text of the draft. Algeria, in consultation with E10 member states removed the Chapter 7 language from its latest draft, amidst dissatisfaction from some who argued that the E10 group should go to the Security Council with the draft resolution under Chapter VII as it was drafted originally, without making any concessions or watering down of its content. They argued that the lives of civilians and children that are being lost by the hour, demand and deserve such a strong draft. They also argued that the US administration will instruct its mission in New York to veto the draft, as long as the draft resolution includes language related to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Some of them also say, "Even if this draft resolution is issued by the Council with the US abstaining from voting, the US Administration & its National Security Council will describe it as a non-binding resolution, because it is not under Chapter VII. They did this in the past and their assumption was refuted immediately by the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres himself..continue @Palestine_UN @antonioguterres @AlgeriaUN @EcuadorONU @swiss_un @JapanMissionUN #Mozambique @ROK_Mission @SLOtoUN @SierraLeoneUN @MaltaUNMission @_VanessaFrazier @USUN @UNGuyana @UKUN_NewYork @franceonu @RussiaUN @Chinamission2un @SigridKaag @UNRWA @ICRC @UNOCHA @UNICEF @WFP @CIJ_ICJ @IntlCrimCourt @KarimKhanQC @nawafasalam @FranceskAlbs @UN_HRC @USAmbHRC @EURightsAgency @humanrightsHRLC @ksamissionun @AzALWASIL @FaisalAbbas @UAEMissionToUN @LNusseibeh @StephDujarric @MelissaFleming @DicarloRosemary @arableague_gs