As the UN Security Council meets to vote on the resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza for the fifth time, the US cannot let Israel carry on with their military campaign.
That’s according to former fighter pilot and military analyst Sean Bell as the UN Security Council attempts yet another vote after tough negotiations between the US and the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Bell told Newstalk Breakfast the US is “very clear” it doesn’t want to impose a ceasefire on Israel.
“It doesn’t want to be told what to do by other members of the security council,” he said.
“But the issue of aid has become a major issue for Gaza and without some form of operational pause in the fighting as we had before, aid just isn’t flowing.
“It looks like they have found a set of words that allows further aid to flow without telling Israel they have to stop the war.”
US support for Israel
Several attempts by the UN Security Council to call for a ceasefire in Gaza have failed, including the US vetoing a vote two weeks ago.
However, Mr Bell said escalating humanitarian crises may prompt the US to reconsider its hard stance.
“Israel lost 1,200 on that faithful day on October 7th, but there are reports of over 20,000 dead in Gaza,” he said.
“There are 50,000 injured, the majority of them appear to be children; over 60% of buildings are damaged in some way; the economy was already bad but it’s going to be devastated by this.
“It’s very difficult for the US to look on let Israel carry on with this military campaign.”
Two-state solution
Mr Bell said the ability to support Israel is also increasingly difficult when it cannot see eye to eye with other states diplomatically.
“The US and the West generally are always looking towards a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis coexist peacefully,” he said.
“But Prime Minister Netanyahu and others have come out and said what many of us have suspected, which is they have no intention of following a two-state solution.
“It looks increasingly like a one-state solution, something the US and UK would struggle to support.”
US diplomats have said today they can finally support today’s draft proposals.
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