Gaza war: UN Security Council adopts US cease-fire plan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Egypt and Israel as a proposed Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal is still up in the air.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is set to vote on Washington's draft resolution backing a plan for an "immediate cease-fire" between Israel and Hamas.

Here is a roundup of developments from the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, June 10:

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

Blinken emphasizes to Netanyahu importance of 'post-conflict' plan

Blinken said ahead of meeting Netanyahu that the US would like to see a 'day after' plan from Israel on GazaImage: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO/dpa/picture alliance

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday evening as he continued to push for support for a US-led ceasefire proposal.

Emphasizing to Netanyahu the importance of a "post-conflict" plan in Gaza, Blinken also "reiterated that the proposal on the table would unlock the possibility of calm along Israel's northern border and further integration with countries in the region," according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

The meeting, part of Blinken's eighth diplomatic visit to the region since the current conflict began on October 7, came as Israel continued to exchange fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants across its northern border with Lebanon.

Miller said Blinken stressed to Netanyahu the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading.

Earlier, Blinken had made the same appeals in talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, a key mediator with Hamas.

"It's imperative that there be a plan, and that has to involve security, it has to involve governance, it has to involve reconstruction," Blinken had said.

In Israel, however, Netanyahu and his government have thus far resisted calls for any "day after" plan that would bar Israel from having some form of security presence in Gaza.

"It would be very good if Israel put forward its own ideas on this, and I'll be talking to the government about that," Blinken said before setting off to meet Netanyahu.

Talks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are also planned. On Tuesday morning, Blinken is scheduled to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

Yemen: Houthi rebels claim to have dismantled 'spy ring'

Houthi rebels in Yemen said Monday that they arrested a dozen employees of international humanitarian organizations and accused them of being part of "an Israeli-American espionage network."

The Houthis didn't specify the exact number of arrests, but the United Nations said on Friday that 11 of its employees had been detained in regions controlled by the Iran-backed rebels.

Six worked for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), while the others worked for different agencies including UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Food Programme.

The Houthis claimed in a statement that these positions were just a "cover" and that the "network" was "linked to the CIA."

"The American-Israeli spy cell carried out espionage and sabotage activities in official and unofficial institutions for decades in favor of the enemy," Houthi intelligence chief Abdel Hakim Al-Khaiwani said.

Neither Israeli government officials nor the US State Department made immediate comments.

According to Mohammed Albasha, a Yemen expert and a senior analyst at the Navanti Group, the Houthis' allegations of espionage are merely a "pretext."

The real objective of the arrests, he told the AFP news agency, is to put pressure on "foreign organizations or members of the international community who may be looking to lead, finance or implement projects" in Yemen.

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

UN Security Council to vote on US' Gaza cease-fire proposal

The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution tabled by the United States to back a US proposal for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The three-phase cease-fire plan was initially laid out at the end of May and was described by President Joe Biden as an "Israeli initiative."

On his current visit to the region, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has claimed that Israel accepts the plan, but not all Security Council members are convinced.

The draft resolution welcomes the cease-fire proposal, which it says "Israel accepted," a key change from earlier drafts. It "calls upon Hamas to also accept it and urges both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition."

Under the proposal, Israel would withdraw from Gaza's population centers and Hamas would free hostages. The cease-fire would last an initial six weeks and could be extended as negotiators seek a permanent end to hostilities.

Furthermore, the draft states that "if the negotiations take longer than six weeks for phase one, the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continue."

The resolution's text was finalized on Sunday after a week of negotiations among the 15 members of the Security Council. To pass, a resolution requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, China or Russia. China's and Russia's positions on the draft remain unclear.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a regional radio station on Monday: "So far, there are positive signals. We hope that this proposal is accepted."

Nate Evans, spokesman for the US delegation, said on Sunday: "Council members should not let this opportunity pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this deal."

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

Blinken arrives in Israel to push for cease-fire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel to push for a cease-fire deal between the militant group Hamas and Israel.

It is the top US diplomat's eighth trip to the region since the Gaza war began in October.

After landing in Tel Aviv, Blinken traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The pair are expected to discuss a three-phase cease-fire plan put forward by US President Joe Biden in May.

The proposal envisages a six-week cessation in fighting that would ultimately lead to a permanent cease-fire.

Israel has so far said any pause in fighting is contingent on releasing all hostages. Netanyahu has also reiterated that Israel maintains its goal of fully destroying Hamas. 

Hamas, on the other hand, says it will not accept a truce unless it has guarantees that the war will end. 

Blinken started his three-day trip on Monday in Egypt. After Israel, he is expected to head to Jordan and Qatar.

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

US urges Egyptian president to press Hamas on cease-fire

Egypt has been a key mediator with the militant Hamas group during the Gaza conflict Image: Amr Nabil/AP Photo/picture alliance

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi at the start of a three-day Middle East trip, during which he will push a three-stage cease-fire proposal.

Speaking after the meeting, Blinken said Hamas was the only side that had yet to agree to the cease-fire proposal, outlined by US President Joe Biden on May 31.

Washington says Israel has already accepted the deal.

"My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region, is: If you want a cease-fire, press Hamas to say yes," Blinken told reporters.

"If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, press Hamas to say yes. If you want to get the hostages home, press Hamas to say yes," he added.

El-Sissi, a key mediator with Hamas, said it was important to lift obstacles to humanitarian aid for Gazans.

Blinken has now departed Egypt to visit Israel, where he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Officials say a meeting is also planned with Benny Gantz, a popular centrist lawmaker, who resigned on Sunday from Netanyahu's three-member War Cabinet, calling on the Israeli prime minister to draw up a plan for a postwar order in the Gaza Strip.

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

Rafah closure 'collective punishment,' Palestine Red Crescent says

The continued closure by Israel of the Rafah border, which is affecting the delivery of aid supplies to Gaza, is an "enforcement of collective punishment" on residents of the Gaza Strip, the Palestine Red Crescent Society has said.

The PRCS accused Israel of a "direct violation of the International Court of Justice’s May Order on Provisional Measures and international humanitarian law" in view of the "imminent acute levels of famine" across the Palestinian territory.

The Rafah border crossing with Egypt, which was a key point of entry for humanitarian aid, as well as an escape route for Gazans fleeing the Israeli offensive, was shut by Israel last month.

The Israeli military claimed at the time that it seized the crossing after receiving intelligence that it was being exploited "for terrorist purposes."

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

Blinken arrives in Cairo to begin Middle East visit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, kicking off a Middle East trip during which he will aim to bring about a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas.

During his three-day trip, which will also include Israel, Jordan and Qatar, he will talk with regional leaders, including Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US State Department said Blinken would be holding talks on the need to reach a cease-fire agreement that secures the release of all Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in its October 7 terror attacks on Israel, during which some 1,200 people were killed.

The basis of the talks is likely to be a new three-phase cease-fire plan laid out by US President Joe Biden on May 31.

 Neither Israel nor Hamas have so far agreed to the proposal.

The plan envisages a complete cease-fire lasting six weeks that would lead to a permanent cease-fire in a second phase. 

Calls for a cease-fire have been growing amid fears that hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah could escalate further into a full-fledged war, sparked by the Gaza conflict.
 

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

Australian PM says 'turn the heat down' after US Consulate vandalism

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on people to stick to a "respectful political debate" amid tensions aroused by the Israel-Hamas conflict after the US Consulate in Sydney was vandalized on Monday.

"People are traumatized by what is going on in the Middle East, particularly those with relatives in either Israel or in the Palestinian occupied territories," Albanese told reporters.

"And I just say, again, reiterate my call to turn the heat down and measures such as painting the US Consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is, of course, a crime to damage property," he said.

Nine holes were smashed in the windows of the consulate building and two inverted red triangles, seen by many as a symbol of Palestinian resistance, were also painted on its facade in the early morning action.

The consulate was closed on Monday because of a public holiday in the eastern state of New South Wales, where Sydney is situated, but would reopen on Tuesday, a consulate statement said.

The consulate was sprayed with graffiti in April, including the words "Freee (sic) Gaza." The US Consulate in the eastern city of Melbourne was vandalized by activists on May 31.

The US is a major ally of Israel and also its biggest supplier of weapons.

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

IDF spokesman says deal needed to bring hostages home

Despite a weekend rescue operation that succeeded in freeing four of the 250 hostages seized by Hamas, the Israeli army's spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, has said military force alone will not bring all the captives home alive.

"What will bring most of the hostages back home alive is a deal," he told reporters.

Following Saturday's rescue, tens of thousands of Israelis held protests in Tel Aviv calling for such a deal.

Only three other hostages have been freed by military force since the start of the war.

Some 80 Israeli hostages still remain in the hands of Hamas in Gaza, while more than 40 are reported to be dead.

Over 100 hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire last year.

The return of the four hostages has been greeted with elation in Israel but has unleashed mourning in Gaza, where the Hamas-run Health Ministry said at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the raid.

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

US seeks Security Council backing for cease-fire plan

The US said Sunday it had requested a UN Security Council vote on its draft resolution supporting a plan for an "immediate cease-fire with the release of hostages" between Israel and Hamas. 

"Today, the United States called for the Security Council to move towards a vote [...] supporting the proposal on the table," said Nate Evans, spokesman for the US delegation to the world body.

He did not specify any date for the vote.

06/10/2024June 10, 2024

US' Blinken to visit Egypt, Israel to push cease-fire proposal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit Egypt and Israel on Monday as Washington seeks to increase pressure on Hamas and Israel to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.

It is Blinken's eighth visit to the region since Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to an October 7 attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, during which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage.

The trip comes at a critical time in the conflict as hostilities are escalating with Lebanon's Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israel in solidarity with Hamas, the rulers of Gaza.

It also follows the May 31 announcement by US President Joe Biden of a three-phase cease-fire proposal that envisions a permanent end to fighting in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and the reconstruction of the Palestinian territory.

Blinken will start his visit in Egypt before heading to Israel later on Monday, with meetings planned with both Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo and with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Hamas has yet to formally respond to the cease-fire plan, but in comments carried by Reuters news agency, a senior official from the group said it was "ready to deal positively with any initiative that secures an end to the war." Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, Germany, the EU and other governments.

Blinken will also visit Jordan and Qatar before joining Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Italy starting June 13.

tj/kb (Reuters, AFP)