Security Council calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Zhang Yesui, Chinese Permanent Representative to the  United Nations, votes for approval of the resolution  calling for ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza  during the United Nations Security Council meeting on  Gaza crisis at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 8,  2009.(Xinhua/Hou Jun)

After the vote, Ban said that his trip to the Middle East next week will help to promote the ceasefire.

In the resolution, the council stressed that "the Gaza Strip constitutes an integral part of the territory occupied in 1967 and will be a part of the Palestine State."

Kouchner, speaking in his capacity as the French foreign minister, said that the resolution "is the only viable way" to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Rice, in explaining her vote, said that despite the abstention, the United States supports the text of the resolution.

The United States is a close ally of Israel, which launched air strikes on Dec. 27, 2008 to retaliate for the firing of rockets into southern Israel by Hamas militants.