The fact that Austria voted on Friday against a UN General Assembly resolution to improve the humanitarian situation and in favor of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was “not in line” with its green coalition partner . His foreign policy spokeswoman, Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic, explained this to the “Tiroler Tageszeitung”. According to a broadcast by “TT” on Sunday, the Greens’ attitude towards the decision of the ÖVP-led Ministry of Foreign Affairs was “distanced”.
These statements cited by “TT” were later relativized by the Greens to the APA. “The government is in absolute agreement – a resolution that neither contains Israel’s right to self-defense against terrorism nor condemns the actions of Hamas cannot gain our approval,” it said in a statement. However, it was confirmed: “The form of non-approval – whether by abstention or rejection – was not previously agreed by the coalition”. But: “An abstention would also have been possible. As a result, the Foreign Minister’s approach was approved by the Greens.”
According to “TT”, Ernst-Dziedzic said: “An abstention, which Germany, for example, decided on, would have been appropriate in our opinion.” She justified this, among other things, with the “lack of recognition of Israel’s right to self-defense, the lack of demand for the release of hostages or the lack of condemnation of Hamas’ terror.” And Ernst-Dziedzic added, according to “TT”: “International humanitarian law must always be respected.”
The position of the Foreign Ministry and the Foreign Ministry was as follows: “A resolution in which the terrorist organization Hamas is not named, in which the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 are not condemned and in which Israel’s right to self-defense, which is enshrined in international law, it is not condemned, it is upheld – such a resolution cannot be supported by Austria,” said Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) on X (formerly Twitter). “As a result, Austria voted against this resolution at the UN General Assembly,” emphasized the Foreign Ministry. 120 countries voted in favor of the resolution on Friday, 45 abstained and 14 voted against. Including Austria.