Objective considerations and underlying backgrounds… this is why Algeria voted for the ‘Gaza Peace Plan’

ALGIERS – Algerian Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad, and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, said on Tuesday that Algeria voted in favor of the UN resolution on the situation in Gaza based on a set of objective considerations, including the core objectives of this resolution, the underlying background behind it, and the positions of the key regional actors.

“Just yesterday, the Council adopted a new UN resolution concerning the Palestinian issue, or more specifically, the situation in Gaza. This resolution was initiated by the United States of America with the aim of implementing what has been termed the “Gaza Peace Plan.” Algeria voted in favor of the resolution, based on a range of objective considerations,” Ahmed Attaf said at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Resolution’s Core Objectives:

Attaf indicated that the core objectives of this resolution “primarily fall within what can be described as the urgent priorities of the current phase, or the post-aggression priorities for Gaza, and they consist of four main dimensions.”

The dimensions encompass consolidating the ceasefire agreement, providing international protection for the Palestinian people, facilitating humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza without restrictions or conditions, and laying the groundwork for the launch of the reconstruction process in Gaza.

“These are the urgent priorities of the moment, and they are the very priorities that Algeria has steadfastly championed since the start of its term on the Security Council, three months after the blatant Israeli aggression against Gaza,” Attaf said, adding that the adopted resolution provides a binding framework to advance these urgent priorities without compromising the fundamental principles for resolving the Palestinian issue.

He also highlighted that the adopted resolution emphasizes the necessity of respecting the ceasefire and rejects any pretexts or justifications for resuming Israeli aggression against Gaza. Moreover, it establishes a notable precedent for deploying an international force to maintain security and stability in Gaza, which in itself represents a significant development in the history of the Palestinian issue toward ensuring international protection for the Palestinian people. Additionally, its annex underscores the rejection of forced displacement, and likewise rejects Israeli plans aimed at annexing or occupying Gaza by military force. Furthermore, it calls for the removal of all restrictions and obstacles hindering humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian people in Gaza. The adopted resolution also paves the way for initiating the reconstruction process in Gaza, particularly by mobilizing international financial institutions to contribute to this global effort.

Pillars of the Palestinian Issue:

“As for the fundamental principles of the Palestinian issue, the adopted resolution does not in any way affect the foundations of a just, lasting, and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as agreed upon by the international community and in accordance with relevant decisions of international law,” Minister Attaf said.

He noted that the adopted resolution recalls all previous Security Council resolutions related to the Palestinian issue, which constitute the UN’s guiding doctrine for enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights, through ending the occupation of their lands, realizing their national project, and enabling them to establish their independent and sovereign state.

He also emphasized that Algeria succeeded during the negotiations in introducing a crucial amendment to this resolution, clarifying that the ultimate aim of the resolution is to create the conditions conducive to opening the horizon for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and enabling the Palestinian people to establish their independent and sovereign state.

Background of the Resolution:

Concerning the backgrounds of this resolution, they stem from the fact that the initiative to submit what has been termed the “Gaza Peace Plan” to the Security Council for the purpose of issuing a resolution originated with the Arab states that participated in the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit held in Egypt in mid-last month.

This summit, which resulted in the adoption of the peace plan, also witnessed Arab calls for the UN Security Council to endorse the plan in order to achieve three main objectives, namely, to confer legal force and an executive mandate on what has been termed the “Gaza Peace Plan” through the authority of the UN Security Council. To move this plan beyond the limited circle of participants in the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit and give it a broader, more comprehensive character—an international one. Besides, it relates to placing the implementation of this peace plan under the umbrella of the United Nations, thereby granting it the most important guarantee, which is the UN guarantee that ensures its realization in a manner consistent with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and all relevant international resolutions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which together constitute what we refer to as international legitimacy.

Positions of Key Regional Actors:

“Since the beginning of its current term on the Security Council, Algeria has undertaken to coordinate all its steps, actions, and initiatives with its Palestinian brothers in particular, and with its Arab brothers in general, through the Palestinian mission and the Arab missions represented at the United Nations. Our country adopted the same approach during the negotiations on this draft resolution, working in full coordination with all these missions in New York,” Attaf told the press conference.

“There is no doubt that you all observed the clear and explicit position taken by the Palestinian National Authority regarding the American draft resolution, as it issued an official statement expressing its support for the draft and calling on Security Council member states to adopt it. Immediately after the Council adopted the resolution, the Palestinian Authority once again expressed its satisfaction, its welcome, and its support for this step,” he added.

“The same was true for the Arab and Islamic states that participated in the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit, which also issued a joint statement at the end of last week urging the Security Council to expedite the adoption of the American draft resolution. Immediately following the adoption of the resolution, many of these states began issuing statements welcoming and supporting it.”

From this perspective, Attaf said that Algeria “cannot deviate from the position of its Palestinian brothers, nor can it step outside the framework of Arab and Islamic consensus supporting the draft resolution and calling for its adoption by the Security Council. Finally, it cannot take a position contrary to what it has consistently advocated for: namely, the necessity of adopting a binding urgent resolution to alleviate all forms of suffering imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The Algerian Minister reiterated that such a stance does not represent a disregard for the shortcomings that affected the content of the decision, but rather a responsible response to the Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic situation, without in the slightest way undermining either the fundamental principles of Algeria’s historic support for the Palestinian cause, or the fundamental principles of Arab consensus regarding the ways to resolve the Palestinian issue, or the fundamental principles of a just, lasting, and final solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as internationally agreed.