Amid calls for help from a Gaza hospital, Maltese negotiators on the UN Security Council pulled out all the stops to draft a humanitarian resolution on the Israel-Hamas war that would be acceptable to the majority of countries. Ambassador Vanessa Frazier gave James Cummings a behind-the-scenes look.
Malta’s Ambassador to the UN Vanessa Frazier has spoken of the horror felt inside the security council at the plight of children in Gaza, as she recounted Malta’s frantic efforts to secure a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The resolution, calling for “extended humanitarian pauses”, was passed by the 15-member council on November 15 after previous failed drafts by Brazil, Russia and the US.
It focused on the plight of children trapped in the fighting and those being held hostage, and sought to enable urgent rescue and recovery efforts and the medical evacuation of sick or injured children and their caregivers.
And while the resolution was not immediately fully accepted by Israel and the Palestinians, this weekend, women and children – hostages in Gaza and prisoners in Israel – were being released under a four-day truce brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US.
When she first heard the news of the deadly terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas, Frazier knew the situation in the region had changed completely.
“Every month we would say the region was a ticking time bomb; now that bomb has exploded,” she told Times of Malta in an interview.
On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise wave of terror attacks into Israeli territory, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages.
The incursion provoked a massive retaliation from Israel by ground and air, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to “destroy Hamas”.
Alarmed observers around the world called for an immediate end to hostilities amid a looming humanitarian catastrophe and a horrific death toll on children.
Malta’s role on children
As the crisis unfolded and with the UN at an apparent deadlock, the United Arab Emirates suggested the security council meet for a ‘sofa talk’, an informal discussion with no agenda or minutes where members can more freely talk about their concerns, Frazier recalled.
Malta is one of the 10 elected members on the security council and Frazier currently chairs the United Nations Security Council Children and Armed Conflict working group. This gives Malta a leading role in the protection of children.
“Everybody in the security council was horrified by the situation of children in the conflict,” she said.
“Gaza is an unusual situation where 50 per cent of the population are children. It’s also one of the most densely populated areas on earth, so children are disproportionately affected.”
Recently, the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimated Israel had dropped around 25,000 tons of explosives on the small Palestinian enclave. And according to health officials in Gaza, 12,300 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, more than 5,000 of them children.
“The innocence of children always needs to be upheld and protected, and they are protected under international law,” stressed Frazier.
With previous draft resolutions having failed to find agreement, action was needed quickly.
“We kept going back and forth but it was clear we couldn’t reach an agreement... so we [Malta] decided to push for a resolution that didn’t introduce a political dimension to have a greater chance of success,” she said.
Resolute on action
This meant not calling for a permanent ceasefire – a sticking point for the US and UK, who had blocked two Russian resolutions that included this provision – and not condemning Hamas.
Aware of the council’s seeming paralysis, Frazier made it clear to her council colleagues that while they shouldn’t waste time negotiating a deal that would later be blocked, it was important any resolution include action.
“Otherwise, it’s just a declaration of wishes,” she said.
After consulting with Foreign Minister Ian Borg, who agreed to allow Frazier increased autonomy due to the fast pace of the negotiations, the Maltese mission got to work drafting the resolution.
Using language from other resolutions as a starting point, they stripped back the text to remove unnecessary or contentious points and engaged in constant talks with other countries. Frazier estimates the team made between 20 and 40 revisions each day, with every change run past humanitarian agencies to check the text would be workable on the ground.
"I’m not calling my wife to say goodbye, I’m calling you to ask for help"
“For two days we argued over the word ‘days’ [in regard to a pause in hostilities], the inclusion of which had been requested by the Palestinians and Arab nations,” she said.
Humanitarian workers were saying that hours-long pauses in fighting would not be enough to allow effective relief work and guarantee all combatants would be aware of the halt in military action.
Children walk amid the rubble of a school in Gaza Strip hit during an Israeli strike before the start of the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas militants. Photo: Mohammed Abed/AFPCalls for help
The negotiations were punctuated by stark reminders of the ongoing conflict, with members of Malta’s diplomatic mission continuing to receive calls from medical staff inside Al Shifa hospital, a location that has become synonymous with alleged Israeli breaches of international law.
Gaza’s main hospital, Al Shifa, was called a “death zone” by the World Health Organization as it announced an evacuation of the facility.
Frazier recalls someone calling her from inside Al Shifa telling her: “I’m not calling my wife to say goodbye, I’m calling you to ask for help.”
Commenting on Malta’s collaboration with other countries during the negotiations, Frazier described France – one of the five permanent members of the security council – as “fantastic from the start.”
“They gave us free rein and trust... the UK were very similar and helped with the language of the resolution to avoid blockage,” she said, adding that gaining support from Arab countries had been very important.
Did Malta’s past criticisms of Russia’s war on Ukraine present difficulties when negotiating with the country?
“It’s no secret we’re against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but we have to work together on other things... we can’t ignore Russia, they’re on the security council,” said Frazier, adding the Maltese mission had cultivated a “very respectful relationship” with Russia over the years.
Emotional roller coaster
Eventually, Malta’s negotiating team arrived at a “short and operational” two-page document it was hoped would be limited enough in scope to ensure agreement while remaining effective.
“The evening before the vote we couldn’t believe we had the green light from everyone... everyone had the same goodwill,” said Frazier, describing the week as an “emotional roller coaster.”
The motion was successfully carried in a session of the security council the next day and is notable for being the first such resolution to pass the council since the start of the conflict. Despite its success, however, the resolution was immediately criticised by the Palestinians and denounced by Israel’s ambassador to the UN.
The Palestinian representative said it failed to include a ceasefire and questioned how the security council would enforce the resolution after Israel immediately shot it down.
Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador criticised the motion for being “detached from reality” and argued Israel was already doing everything it could to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Does Frazier feel let down by Israel’s response?
“I was disappointed, of course; I didn’t expect Israel to welcome it, but not to denounce it... I think they did themselves a disservice by not accepting it,” she said.
Sign of hope
Has her faith in the UN been shaken?
“My faith in the security council can at times be somewhat of a roller-coaster ride, but my faith in the UN has not wavered. That week of negotiations was difficult in that I was faced with many different aspects of national interests which we had to try to converge into an agreed text.”
Despite the resolution’s frosty reception from Israel and the Palestinians, Frazier felt proud it had at least brought a sign of relief and hope and a clear signal of intent by the international community.
“Hopefully people in that area will have woken up knowing that they weren’t forgotten,” she said.
“I hope this also shows how a small country can make a difference and further prove women are just as effective leaders on the world stage.”
Tremendous work
Commenting on the development, Borg said the resolution had been the result of “tremendous work of ministry officials, both at head office and in New York, interventions with my peers and the common willingness of countries around the UNSC table to agree on fundamental principles”.
Highlighting the importance of protecting children, humanitarian corridors, extended humanitarian pauses and the protection of humanitarian personnel on the ground, Borg called for the resolution to be fully implemented by all states.
“We can understand that the resolution does not fully satisfy any country – negotiating on a text that is agreeable to everyone requires compromise,” he said.
“But we trust Israel will appreciate the text calls for the release of all Israeli hostages, and that it emphasises that actions contrary to international law – such as terrorism – are unacceptable.”
Borg said the ministry’s focus would continue to be the situation on the ground in Gaza and said he was “appreciative of efforts by members of the international community... to facilitate the entry of greater quantities of aid into Gaza”.
Malta would continue to urge all groups and countries operating in Gaza to fully respect international humanitarian law and to create an environment where the needs of people in Gaza can be addressed, he added.