This time, it’s the United States that has brought a resolution on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to the United Nations Security Council, passed by a majority vote. All three past resolutions on the ceasefire were vetoed by the US. Thanks to the US, it took so long for the UNSC to unanimously say that the war must end now. The resolution, based on Joe Biden’s peace plan announced 10 days earlier, is believed to be agreed upon by Israel.

However, the powerful far-right in Israel does not fully endorse the plan, putting the possibility of a ceasefire in doubt. And just as China raised its concerns, will the resolution be implemented? We do not know. From Biden’s announcement to the resolution, Israel raided the Nusreit camp in broad daylight. Was the US waiting for Israel to complete this act of brutality before the resolution was passed by the UNSC? It seems likely.

After three failed attempts, the adoption of the resolution is welcomed, but the UNSC remains as powerless as before. Much of the success of the ceasefire plan will depend on the negotiations and the role of mediators like Egypt and Qatar. It’s a pity that it has taken so long to reach this point, and it will take even longer to see the implementation of the ceasefire. Each day means more deaths, more starvation, and more misery for the Palestinian people living in camps as their houses have been razed to the ground by Israel.

The international community must step up to press the UNSC to implement its resolution against all odds. If the divide within Israel appears as a blockade in proceeding with negotiations, it is time to enforce the resolution through sanctions - something that should have happened long ago. The resolution, though significant, is just the first step in the complex problem of Palestine. Even the three extensive stages of the peace plan do not include the pressing question of Palestinian freedom and the two-state solution.