Russia, accusing the US of being responsible for the situation in Gaza, yesterday called on the UN Security Council to take action, putting on the table a draft resolution calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire”.

“We are convinced that the Security Council must act to end this bloodbath and to resume peace negotiations with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state, as was envisaged for a very long time,” said Russia’s UN ambassador, the Vasily Nebenziaduring a closed-door meeting on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which remains under siege.

“With this perspective, we have circulated a draft Security Council resolution that provides for a fully respected humanitarian ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian assistance, while condemning violence and acts of terrorism,” he continued.

The text calls for an “immediate, lasting and fully respected humanitarian ceasefire”.

It also “condemns violence and hostilities against civilians and all acts of terrorism”. But it does not name Hamas, while the US had demanded four days ago that the Security Council clearly condemn the “heinous acts of terrorism” by the Palestinian Islamist movement, which last Saturday carried out an unprecedented large-scale attack on Israel.

According to the Russian ambassador, some states reacted “positively” to the draft text, others less so.

Without giving details, he took aim at Western countries, in particular the US, which according to him “bear much of the responsibility for the immediately threatened war in the Middle East”, as well as personally against the president of the European Commission: because, as Ursula von der Leyen “said the EU stands by Israel” but “turns a blind eye to Israeli airstrikes on political infrastructure in the Gaza Strip”.

As the Security Council often tends to be divided over the Middle East, ambassadors took a cautious stance after the meeting.

“The draft decision appeared just two minutes before the meeting (…) and I think that for an issue so important, while we already have the destruction of human lives, we need more time for consultations, serious consultations”, commented the British ambassador to the United Nations Nations Barbara Woodward.

“They didn’t consult everybody and it doesn’t even include a mention of Hamas, so they’re obviously not serious or aligned with the views of most other member states” of the Security Council, a Western diplomat told Reuters earlier on condition of anonymity.

A “consensus on concerns about the humanitarian situation” is beginning to emerge, Chinese ambassador Zhang Jun said on the contrary, saying he was “open to any effort to help bring about a ceasefire, de-escalation”.

In order for any decision to be approved by the Security Council, at least nine votes in favor are needed and no veto is exercised by any of its five permanent member states (USA, Britain, France, China, Russia).

The US has traditionally been Israel’s protectorate in the SA, exercising its right of veto on texts it deems directed against it.

It is not yet clear whether or when Russia intends to put the draft decision to a vote.

“At the request of members of the Council, Brazil will continue to work closely with all delegations to have a unified position,” said Mauro Vieira, Brazil’s ambassador to the UN, whose country holds the SA presidency in October.

After Hamas’s surprise and unprecedented attack on Israel, the Israeli military declared war on it, and the Gaza pounding since last Saturday has killed at least 1,900 people in retaliation. The head of the Israeli government explained yesterday that the operations so far were “only the beginning”.