A United Nations resolution is a formal expression of the will of the Security Council on any matter of international concern. Resolutions are binding and enforceable. They may be aimed at both substantive and procedural issues. Substantive resolutions deal with the “what and why” of a problem while procedural resolutions deal with the “how” of addressing a problem.
Resolutions are introduced to the Council by the five permanent members, China, France, Russia, UK and US, or by one of their ten elected members (E10). They must be supported by a majority of all 15 members to be passed, including abstentions.
A draft resolution consists of an unnumbered preambular clause, followed by a numbered operative paragraph. Preambular clauses almost always start with verbs, and are sometimes modified by adverbs; operative paragraphs always begin with a capital letter and end with a semicolons or full stop/period. The draft also includes the date, an alphabetical list of all countries that have contributed to the document (sponsors), and the name of the issuing body, the Security Council. The resolution can be voted on at any time; the results are announced by the president.
The United States would vote against this resolution, using its veto privilege as a permanent member to block its passage. It is unacceptable for what it does and does not say, including the refusal to condemn Hamas for its cowardly attacks. It also draws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas, which threatens to embolden Hamas. It would also undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that would reflect the reality of the situation on the ground and allow Gaza’s civilian population to have access to food and water.
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