UNSC due to vote on Israel-Hamas truce after repeated US vetoes

Diplomats say draft text may be watered down from ‘lasting cessation’ to ‘suspension’ of hostilities to appease US.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is expected to vote on a halt in the fighting in Gaza after it was delayed by a day amid ongoing negotiations to stave off another United States veto and as Israel faces growing international pressure to change its tactics in the war against Hamas.

The UNSC is to convene later on Tuesday. An initial draft text of the new resolution seen on Monday called for “an urgent and lasting cessation of hostilities to allow unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip”.

Diplomatic sources said this language has been watered down to an “urgent suspension of hostilities”, and could be further weakened to satisfy Washington and get closer to a compromise.

“The key sticking point of course we believe is the ‘cessation of hostilities’,” said Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from the UN in New York.

“The United States and Israel say that any resolution that has those words in it is akin to a ceasefire and they say that would only benefit Hamas and so the US would reserve its veto power as it has done in the past … We think they are trying to work out some sort of language there.”