The UN rejected Russia's draft resolution on the Middle East

On the evening of October 16 in New York, the UN Security Council rejected Russia's draft resolution on the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

Two competing projects of Russia and Brazil were to be voted on at the meeting. The meeting was adjourned before the drafts were presented - at the request of the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates, 15 members of the Security Council left for further consultations behind closed doors.

The Russian-proposed draft called for a "humanitarian ceasefire" and the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, but did not directly condemn the Hamas attack. The vote on the draft resolution of Brazil, which presides over the UN Security Council, was postponed until the evening of October 17.

Disagreements in the Security Council

Russia's resolution was supported by only five of the 15 council members; the minimum required to pass a resolution is nine votes, and no one should veto it. According to information, after consultations, Brazil corrected its text, changes were requested by Great Britain, France and UAE. However, the acceptance of the Brazilian project remains in question.

According to diplomatic sources, the document proposed by Russia calls for an immediate ceasefire and includes any violence and military action against civilians, as well as "strong condemnation" of all acts of terrorism. , which does not mention Hamas.

For its part, Brazil's draft resolution calls for a "humanitarian pause", condemns violence, military actions against civilians, as well as "Hamas attacks". At the same time, Brazil's proposal calls on Israel, which has not been publicly named, to cancel its demand to evacuate civilians from the northern Gaza Strip.

Last weekend, the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, called after the attacks of Hamas on Israel on October 7 and 8, ended without condemning the actions of Hamas. Later, on October 13, the Security Council held its second meeting behind closed doors, but failed to develop a unified approach.

The UN Secretary General considers evacuation in the Gaza Strip impossible

Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Israel's demand to evacuate civilians from the Gaza Strip within 24 hours impossible. According to the United Nations, the consequences of demanding such a step could lead to a humanitarian disaster.