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Jordan presented a new resolution to the UN Security Council regarding the current crisis in Gaza and hoped that action would be taken in the coming days.
The draft resolution has been backed by several Arab nations and calls for a more permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and an international effort to rebuild the Gaza Strip after the fighting in the past four weeks.
“We are in consultation with all the Council members and hope that in the next day or two we can come up with a product”, Dina Kawar, Jordan’s ambassador said.
The initiative came as the latest 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began at 05:00 GMT on Tuesday, with both Israel and Hamas sending their convoys to Cairo for talks.
“We are very happy with the ceasefire and with the efforts that the Egyptians and the Americans have made”, Kawar added, stressing on the urgent need of a reconstruction plan for Gaza.
The UN Security Council has adopted a statement that calls for a ceasefire; however, Arab nations have said that it falls short of an official resolution from the body. The agreement in the UN was reached after the US dropped reservations that the statement’s wording singled out Israel for tough criticism.
The new statement, revised after a previous version was circulated in Jordan around two weeks ago, asks for a full investigation by the UN on the attacks on UN-run schools in the Palestinian enclave. It also urges the lifting of the blockade on Gaza by Israel, which human rights groups say has turned the strip into an “open prison”.
Britain holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council this month. It has said that talks will continue over the next few days for a resolution, but the outcome will depend on what happens on the ground.
“Perhaps the situation is a bit different and we need a slightly different approach in the Security Council”,Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said.
