The US proposed a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Saturday, which states that Israel has the right to self-defense and asks Iran to stop exporting weapons “to militias and terrorist organizations threatening peace and stability in the region.”

The draft, obtained by Reuters, also calls for the protection of civilians – including those seeking safe haven -, points out that countries must comply with international law when responding to “terrorist attacks” and calls for “continued , effective and unimpeded” aid delivery to the Gaza Strip.

It is currently unclear if and when the US plans to put the draft to a vote. A Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes and no vetoes from the five permanent members – Russia, China, the US, Germany and Britain – to pass.

The US on Wednesday vetoed a draft resolution tabled by Brazil that called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, as well as for aid to enter Gaza.

However, the US draft does not refer to a cessation of hostilities or a truce. It calls on all countries to try to prevent “the violence from Gaza from spreading or being transferred to other parts of the region”, while asking “Hezbollah and other armed organizations to immediately stop the attacks”.

At the same time, the US calls on Iran to stop arming organizations that threaten peace and security in the region, including Hamas.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield justified her country’s veto on Wednesday by pointing out that more time is needed for diplomatic efforts.

She commented that the US was disappointed that Brazil’s draft did not address Israel’s right to self-defense. Washington emphasizes that Israel has this right based on Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Article 51 refers to the right of states to self-defense against armed attack and notes that countries should immediately inform the 15-member Security Council of any action they take to defend themselves against an armed attack.

In a letter sent by Israel on October 7, the day Hamas launched its attack, it informed the Council that it would “act in any way necessary to protect its citizens and sovereignty from the ongoing terrorist attacks emanating from the Strip of Gaza”. According to diplomats, Israel does not appear to formally invoke Article 51 in the letter.

The Arab countries also consider that Israel cannot justify its actions in the context of self-defense.

“The Gaza Strip is an occupied territory,” Jordan’s UN ambassador Mahmoud Daifala Hmoud told the Security Council on Monday, citing a 2004 International Court of Justice opinion on the fence Israel built around the West Bank.