The U.S. urges the U.N. to back a brief ceasefire in Gaza and condemns the Rafah attack.

The United States has presented a competing draft of a United Nations Security Council resolution advocating for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and opposing a significant ground operation by its ally Israel in Rafah, according to the text obtained by Reuters.

The U.S. signaled it would veto an Algerian-drafted resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire over concerns it could jeopardize talks between the U.S., Egypt, Israel, and Qatar that seek to broker a pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The U.S. text mirrors the language used by President Joe Biden in his discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

The Security Council "reiterates its support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible, provided that all hostages are released, and urges the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale."

A senior U.S. administration official stated on Monday that the United States does not plan to rush to a vote and will allow time for negotiations.

In order to pass, a resolution must receive at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the U.S., France, Britain, Russia, or China.

Under current conditions, a major ground offensive into Rafah would result in additional harm to civilians and their displacement, possibly into neighboring countries, as determined by the U.S. draft text.

Israel intends to launch a military operation in Rafah, a city in Gaza where over 1 million of the 2.3 million Palestinians reside, causing international alarm that an attack would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The U.N. has cautioned that such an action could result in a massacre.

The proposed ground offensive would have severe consequences for regional peace and security, highlighting the need for it not to proceed at present, according to the draft U.S. resolution.

Washington has traditionally protected Israel from U.N. action and has twice vetoed council resolutions since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants. However, it has also abstained twice, allowing the council to adopt resolutions aimed at increasing aid to Gaza and calling for extended pauses in fighting.

Washington has again proposed a Security Council resolution on Gaza, but Russia and China have once again vetoed it.

The International Crisis Group U.N. Director Richard Gowan stated that Israel would be more concerned by the text of the Washington draft resolution on Tuesday, despite the U.S.'s readiness to protect Israel by vetoing the Algerian draft resolution.

The U.S.'s decision to present this text at the U.N. is a warning to Netanyahu, indicating that Israel cannot count on American diplomatic protection indefinitely.

The U.S. draft was not immediately responded to by Israel's mission at the United Nations in New York.

The U.S. draft does not mention any specific relationship dynamics, including with the Israelis or any other partners.

The proposed U.S. text would oppose the views of some Israeli government officials who advocate for Jewish settlers to relocate to Gaza and would reject any efforts to alter the demographic or territorial status of Gaza in violation of international law.

The resolution would reject any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza, either temporarily or permanently, including the establishment of buffer zones and the widespread, systematic demolition of civilian infrastructure.

According to a Reuters report from December, Israel informed several Arab states of its intention to establish a buffer zone within Gaza's borders following the war, in order to prevent attacks.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 253 hostages, according to Israeli estimates. In response, Israel launched a military assault on Gaza that has resulted in the deaths of nearly 29,000 Palestinians, with thousands more bodies feared lost amid the ruins.

In December, over three-quarters of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. While General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, they carry significant political weight and represent a global consensus on the conflict.