Israel-Hamas War

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a failed U.N. vote on a cease-fire in Gaza, Chinese military drills near Taiwan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reelection bid.

Motion Failed

The United Nations Security Council failed to pass a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza on Friday. The text, presented by the United Arab Emirates, was vetoed by the United States, one of five permanent council members. Nine of the 15 member nations were required to support the resolution, with no vetoes, for it to be approved. Thirteen members voted in favor, with Washington vetoing and the United Kingdom abstaining.

Had the draft passed, Israel would have been forced to cease all strikes against alleged Hamas targets at a time when the Israel Defense Forces are ramping up their ground offensive in southern Gaza. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

“Civil order is breaking down in Gaza,” Thomas White, the director of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “[T]he streets feel wild, particularly after dark—some aid convoys are being looted and UN vehicles stoned. Society is on the brink of full-blown collapse.”

The resolution had been amended to say that all Palestinian and Israeli civilians must be protected under international law, and it demanded the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” Israel says Hamas continues to hold more than 130 people in captivity.

The United States had offered substantial amendments to the UAE’s proposal, including adding text that condemned Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack, but they were not incorporated into the final draft.

The vote was proposed after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres invoked Article 99 on Wednesday in a rare diplomatic move that forced the Security Council to take action. This was the first time Article 99 had been used since Guterres took office in 2017. Israel was quick to condemn Guterres’s decision, accusing him of bias against Israel and saying his actions represented a “new moral low” for the U.N. Meanwhile, the 22-nation Arab Group jumped to support Guterres’s call.

Washington had also criticized Guterres’s move, warning that Security Council involvement could hamper on-the-ground diplomatic efforts. Prior to the final vote, the United States had warned its fellow members that it would not approve any calls for a cease-fire, with Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood saying it “would only plant the seeds for the next war—because Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace.”

The vote itself was delayed several hours on Friday to accommodate a planned meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Arab leaders from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Authority.

Today’s Most Read

• The Global Credibility Gap by Jared Cohen and Ian Bremmer
• How Will This War End? How Can the Next One be Prevented? by FP Contributors
• It’s Time to Reconsider Turkey’s NATO Membership by Sinan Ciddi

What We’re Following

Military drills. Taiwan said on Friday that 12 Chinese fighter jets and a suspected weather balloon had crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line the day before. China asserts that the unofficial maritime border is part of its own territory and that its military can therefore conduct drills in the region. The patrols are Beijing’s latest actions in the Indo-Pacific that have raised tensions with the United States and others.

The drills come a little more than one month before Taiwan is set to hold presidential and parliamentary elections, during which relations with China will be a major concern for voters. For months, Taipei has been on high alert for Chinese interference, both politically and militarily, to guard against any attempts by Beijing to sway the elections.

For the fifth time. Surprising no one, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his reelection bid for a fifth presidential term on Friday. The decision follows a constitutional amendment made in 2020 that extends the president’s allotted tenure in office, allowing Putin to maintain power until 2036. Putin has served as either president or prime minister of Russia since 1999.

While there is little doubt that he will win again, the vote holds significance for being the first presidential election in the country since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Residents of the occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson will be allowed to participate for the first time. Russians are set to go to the polls in March 2024.

“Brother and sister nations.” Australia and Papua New Guinea signed a security pact on Thursday that will allow Canberra to assist Port Moresby with its domestic security. In exchange, Australia hopes to boost its economy by further investing in the region and encourage Papua New Guinea to side with Western actions in the Indo-Pacific.

Port Moresby has long been caught between the United States and China over competition for dominance among the Pacific islands. In May, Papua New Guinea signed a defense deal with Washington to upgrade its military bases. However, the decision did not hinder its efforts to secure greater trade deals with Beijing this year. Australia, on the other hand, has regularly sided with the United States as it works to counter Chinese assertiveness in the region.

What in the World?

Guyana’s president, Irfaan Ali, said on Wednesday that his country is taking necessary steps to be able to defend itself against which encroaching South American state?

A. Suriname
B. Brazil
C. Colombia
D. Venezuela

Odds and Ends

After eight months of fruitless searches, the International Space Station has finally found its lost tomato. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli announced on Wednesday that the 1-inch Red Robin dwarf tomato—grown, and then lost, by astronaut Frank Rubio—was discovered aboard the station after having accidentally floated away. Whether it still tastes fresh, though, is unlikely.

And the Answer Is…

D. Venezuela

Venezuela claims the oil-rich Esequibo region, which falls within Guyana’s international boundaries. After a disputed referendum last weekend, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears to be readying for a possible incursion into the territory, FP’s Catherine Osborn writes in Latin America Brief.

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