March 25, 2024 — New York, NY
It is outrageous that the resolution adopted today by the United Nations Security Council – by a vote of 14-0, with the United States abstaining – demands “an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan” without unequivocally linking that action to its further demand for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” and, unforgivably, fails to condemn Hamas’ brutal terrorism.
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is deeply disappointed by the U.S. abstention, which allowed the resolution to be adopted. Explaining the U.S. decision to abstain from the vote, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated, “any ceasefire must come with the release of all hostages.” We wholeheartedly agree; however, the language of the resolution adopted by the Council, which Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield described as “nonbinding,” is not sufficiently clear on this point.
AJC echoes Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s reminder to the world that “[a] ceasefire could have come about months ago if Hamas had been willing to release hostages,” and that instead “Hamas continues to stand in the way of peace, to throw up roadblocks, cower in tunnels beneath Gaza’s cities, and under civilian infrastructure, and hide among the civilian population.”
A Security Council resolution proposed by the U.S. that condemned Hamas, directly tied a limited ceasefire to the release of hostages, and called for an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza was vetoed on March 22 by Russia and China.
AJC maintains, as we have since October 7, that Israel has the right and obligation – based on the principle of self-defense enshrined in the UN Charter – to continue its military campaign in Gaza so long as the following three objectives remain unfulfilled: the return of all of the hostages, the removal of Hamas’ military and terror threat, and the elimination of Hamas as the governing authority in Gaza.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 offices across the United States, 14 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org
###
