U.N. Security Council calls for expanded humanitarian aid in Gaza, as U.S. abstains

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/22/ [login to see] /gaza-united-nations-security-council-resolution
After days of protracted and slow-moving negotiations, the United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution calling for "urgent steps" to allow expanded aid into the Gaza strip, as the territory faces a spiraling humanitarian crisis from weeks of Israeli bombardment. But lacking unanimous support for an immediate pause to the fighting, the resolution stopped short of calling for a cease-fire.

The final vote on the resolution, which was drafted by the United Arab Emirates, was 13-o. The United States abstained from the vote, as did Russia.

Friday's vote had originally been scheduled for Monday, but it was repeatedly delayed to allow for negotiations over the final text of the resolution in an effort to get the U.S. — Israel's strongest ally on the international stage — to agree not to veto.