Due to another delay, Security Council vote on Gaza resolution won’t be held until Wednesday morning

A UN Security Council vote on a resolution calling for a surge in humanitarian aid and an urgent halt in the Israel-Hamas war has again been delayed, a diplomat for a country on the panel tells The Times of Israel.

The vote is now slated to take place Wednesday morning.

The council had scheduled a vote late Monday afternoon, but it was postponed until this morning to try to get the US to support the resolution or abstain.

The US vetoed a Security Council resolution backed by almost all council members and dozens of other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The 193-member General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution on December 12 by a vote of 153-10, with 23 abstentions.

The draft resolution on the table Monday morning called for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities,” but this language is expected to be watered down in a final draft, possibly to a “suspension” of hostilities or something weaker to get US support, diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations have been private.

Security Council resolutions are important because they are legally binding, but in practice, many parties choose to ignore the council’s requests for action. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are a significant barometer of world opinion.