Arab Group Urges UNSC ‘to Act with Unity,’ Vote for Gaza Ceasefire

The UN Security Council is set to vote Monday on a resolution backed by the 22-nation Arab Group to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the holy month of Ramadan.
The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, is backed by Russia and China and the Arab Group at the United Nations.
A statement issued Friday night by the Arab Group appealed to all 15 council members “to act with unity and urgency” and vote for the resolution “to halt the bloodshed, preserve human lives and avert further human suffering and destruction.”
“It is long past time for a ceasefire,” the Arab Group said.
Monday’s vote comes after Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” in the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
The United States warned that the resolution to be voted on Monday morning could hurt negotiations to halt hostilities by the US, Egypt and Qatar, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans.
Ramadan began March 10 and ends April 9, which means that if the resolution is approved the ceasefire demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in fighting should lead “to a permanent sustainable ceasefire.”
The vote was originally scheduled for Saturday morning, but its sponsors asked late Friday for a delay until Monday morning.
Gaza also faces a dire humanitarian emergency, with a report from an international authority on hunger warning March 18 that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza and that escalation of the war could push half of the territory’s 2.3 million people to the brink of starvation.