A UN resolution is a formal text that adopts a policy or directive by a UN body. Resolutions can be issued by any UN organ, but most are issued by the Security Council and the General Assembly. Each of these organs can issue a resolution by a simple majority, but substantive decisions require the concurrence of all five permanent members (the P5). The P5’s ability to block resolutions with their veto power has been the source of much geopolitical deadlock in recent years.
This resolution urges the Rwanda Defence Force to cease support for M23 and to withdraw from DRC territory without preconditions, and it also urges all parties to conclude an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities. The Security Council is deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in North and South Kivu, which has resulted in significant gains for the M23.
Generally, this resolution criticises Israel’s policy of building Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land. It mentions two prior resolutions, 672 and 673, which deal with the October 1990 violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by Palestinians armed only with stones; it calls on Israel to apply the Fourth Geneva Convention to Palestinians living in occupied territories.
We have made it clear to all that we oppose this resolution, which would undermine the delicate diplomacy taking place to reach a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. It draws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas, and it allows Iran to further foment instability in the region through its insidious terrorist proxies.
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