Before the Cease-Fire, Malta Negotiated a ‘Humanitarian Pause’ to the War in Gaza

In late 2023, a few weeks after the start of the war in Gaza, the United Nations Security Council was at odds over how to respond. Any one of the council’s permanent members can veto a resolution—and they often do when it comes to issues related to Israel and Palestine.  Malta’s Vanessa Frazier held one of the nine rotating seats on the council. Over the course of several weeks, Frazier came up with a bridging approach that focused on pausing the fighting to allow civilians to access food and other necessities—without mentioning the word “cease-fire.” Her resolution didn’t end the war. But it did lead to the release of some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The Negotiators is a podcast from Foreign Policy and Doha Debates—and a special partner this season, the International Peace Institute.