US official: Administration not planning ‘to rush’ vote on UN measure urging Gaza truce

This picture taken from a position in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli army armored vehicle driving as smoke billows in the background, on February 19, 2024. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP)

A senior US official is quoted by Reuters as saying the Biden administration is not planning “to rush” passage of a UN Security Council resolution it introduced that urges a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and warns Israeli forces against entering Rafah.

“We do not plan to rush our text to a vote. We don’t believe a rush to a vote is necessary or constructive and intend on allowing time for negotiations,” says the administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A second senior US administration official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, says the US draft does not suggest “anything about the dynamics of any particular relationship, whether that’s with the Israelis or any other partner we have.”