UN Security Council calls for Gaza cease-fire

[thewiseguy]

Source: United Nations

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council has approved a resolution calling for an immediate and durable cease-fire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces now fighting in the Gaza Strip. Thursday night's vote was 14-0 with the United States abstaining.

The vote followed three days of intense negotiations between ministers from key Arab nations and the council's veto-wielding Western powers — the United States, Britain and France.

Despite the U.N. decision, it will be up to Israel and Hamas to decide to stop their military activities. But the United States, Israel's closest ally, and Arab nations that have close ties to Hamas negotiated the text of the resolution.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_diplomacy

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United States abstained! Buddies with Israel until the bitter end!

[Barack_America]

1. UN Security Council calls for Gaza cease-fire

Source: Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) —

Key Arab nations and Western powers reached agreement Thursday on a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate and durable cease-fire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and moved for an immediate vote in the Security Council.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband announced the agreement on the final wording of the resolution after a two-hour closed-door meeting.

The foreign ministers from the Arab nations, the United States, Britain and France then walked upstairs to the Security Council chamber for closed consultations, to be followed by a vote.

It will be up to Israel and Hamas to decide to stop their military activities, but the proposed resolution was supported by the United States, Israel's closest ally, and Arab nations that have close ties to Hamas.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g6l-TrnBjEMU0HBCWo667sTBC8eQD95JBGFG1

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More details from Al Jezeera

The United Nations Security Council in New York has passed a resolution calling for an "immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire" in Gaza.

The resolution passed with 14 votes in favour and only the US abstaining.

Drafted by the US, UK and France in consultation with Arab leaders, it urges a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, but does not give a timeframe.

<snip>

The resolution "stresses the urgency of and calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza".

It also calls for an opening of the Gaza crossings but does not offer a time frame for a withdrawal, our correspondent said.

It condemns all violence directed against civilians and all acts of "terrorism", but there is no specific condemnation of Israel's offensive and no mention of Hamas rocket fire.

And though the resolution is legally binding, it does not have any enforcement mechanism, and Israel has ignored dozens of UN resolutions over the years, our correspondent said.

It was also unclear whether Hamas would accept a text which does not mention the lifting of Israel's 18-month blockade on Gaza, which it has demanded, she added.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/2009191340884788.html

Mods: this is about the PASSED resolution and is new.

[bemildred]

2. More empty rhetoric. nt

[Barack_America]

3. That is my fear, yes.

[McCamy Taylor]

4. I am surprised that Bush abstained. Israel must have gone too far when they bombed the UN.

Maybe Israel is scared that under Obama they will not get a favorable peace treaty--like the right to occupy Gaza.

[Barack_America]

6. Or it was done intentionally to give Israel cover to ignore the resolution.

[Turborama]

10. So, the US > The Security Council yet again?

It beggars belief how this is still going on. This imbalance has to be fixed somehow...

[Turborama]

5. Security Council calls for immediate truce in Gaza - US Abstains

Source: FOCUS News Agency


United Nations. The UN Security Council voted late Thursday to call for an "immediate, durable" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces, but the United States abstained, AFP reported.

Fourteen of the council's members voted in favor of the compromise resolution worked out in three days of intense bargaining involving several Arab foreign ministers, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

Read more: http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n166406

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U.N. Security Council calls for Gaza cease-fire

BREAKING NEWS

msnbc.com news services

updated 9:41 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2009

JERUSALEM -

The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Thursday calling for an immediate and durable cease-fire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces now fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The vote was 14-0, with the United States abstaining

The vote followed three days of intense negotiations between ministers from key Arab nations and the council's veto-wielding Western powers — the United States, Britain and France. It came on the 13th day of an Israeli air and ground offensive against the Islamic group Hamas, which rules Gaza and has been launching rockets and mortars into southern Israel for years.

The United States, Israel's closest ally, and Arab nations that have close ties to Hamas negotiated the text of the resolution. But it will be up to Israel and Hamas to decide to stop their military activities.

"We are all very conscious that peace is made on the ground while resolutions are written in the United Nations," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said. "Our job here is to support the efforts for peace on the ground and to help turn the good words on paper into changes on the ground that are desperately needed."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28404637/

[Clovis Sangrail]

7. why would the US help negotiate the text and then abstain?

:shrug:

[Barack_America]

8. I gave my guess in post #6.

[Turborama]

9. Beats me!

I'll see your :shrug: and raise :shrug: :shrug:

[WriteDown]

11. Could be that if other countries....

saw the US supported it, they would automatically be against it.

[Bacchus39]

12. not bad at all. and, frankly, since the US Senate approved a pro-Israel resolution

crafting the UN language and a subsequent abstention seems pretty even handed.

[Alamuti Lotus]

13. Now please promptly add it to the pile of all others previously ignored..

[Blue_Tires]

14. Israel says UN truce call unworkable, fight goes on

JERUSALEM, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected a U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as "unworkable" and, noting Palestinians fired rockets at Israel on Friday, said the army would go on defending Israelis.

"The firing of rockets this morning only goes to show that the U.N. decision is unworkable and will not be adhered to by the murderous Palestinian organisations," he said in a statement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL9351034

I'm sick of this and want it to stop...I give less than a shit who is at fault or who started what...