Riyad Mansour, Palestinian representative to the United Nations, spoke to the Security Council last Friday at the organization's headquarters in New York. David Dee Delgado (Portal)
The UN General Assembly adopted by a large majority this Tuesday a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, just days after the United States vetoed a proposed Security Council resolution with the same effect. For the second time in more than two months of war, the deadlock of the organization's highest body has forced the plenum to vote on a lower-level resolution: Council resolutions are legally binding and theoretically require compliance by the parties, while Council resolutions are legally binding are binding and theoretically require compliance by the parties of the Assembly are a moral and political declaration; the thermometer of the international community. However, no country has veto power in the 193-member General Assembly and only a two-thirds majority is needed to pass it. The resolution was adopted with 153 votes in favor (33 more than in October), compared to ten against and 23 abstentions. In addition to Israel and the United States, those who have rejected the proposal include two European countries, Austria and the Czech Republic, supported by others from Latin America and Oceania and an African country (Liberia).
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Like the failed initiative before the Council last week, the proposed resolution voted on by the plenary is sponsored by Egypt and Mauritania on behalf of the groups of Arab and Islamic countries, respectively, and its terms are identical to those of the rejected resolution Text also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and compliance by the belligerents with international law, particularly with regard to the protection of civilians. This initiative also represents a more ambitious goal than that pursued in the resolution adopted by the Assembly in October: “an immediate, permanent and sustainable humanitarian ceasefire leading to the cessation of hostilities”. It was adopted with 121 votes in favour, 14 against – including the United States – and 44 abstentions. The countries that changed their vote this Tuesday include Croatia, which voted in favor after voting against in October; Hungary, which moved from no to abstention; and Canada and Australia, which moved from abstention to supporting the resolution. Ukraine abstained both times.
On that occasion, Canada attempted to introduce an amendment to reject and condemn the October 7 Hamas attacks that sparked the war, but failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority. The United States has now tabled a similar amendment, to be debated before the vote, urging an “unequivocal rejection and condemnation” of the brutal attack and hostage-taking. The amendment was rejected due to lack of support.
moral strength
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Saturday, following the US backlash against the Council resolution, that he would not give up his efforts to ensure that the organization he leads does everything in its power to bring an end to the fire in Gaza, a concept that horrifies Israel and its key ally, the United States, given that it would only benefit Hamas. Therefore, the resolution, which the Assembly is expected to adopt by a majority, has the moral force of a large majority of the international community, but nothing more than that: political weight. The fact that this is the eighth attempt by the political bodies of the United Nations to reach consensus on a resolution to end or end the war also shows their powerlessness and ineffectiveness. It also confirms the United States' increasing isolation from Gaza in the United Nations, a vacuum similar to Russia's since its invasion of Ukraine.
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The emergency meeting comes a day after 12 Security Council envoys visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, the only point through which limited humanitarian aid and fuel supplies enter the Gaza Strip. The United States did not send representatives.
Palestinians hoped the vote result would show broad global support for ending the war between Israel and Hamas, now entering its third month. As UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday, the assembly's messages were “also very important” and reflected world opinion. In an appearance before the meeting, Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, said this Tuesday that he understood the anger and frustration of the Palestinian community: “The tragedy is so incomprehensible that they would curse us all if they were angry and would be frustrated.” – I'll start with myself – I understand; You are right and we are wrong. Our duty is to try to save the lives of those who are still alive by passing this resolution and forcing Israel and those who protect Israel to comply with it [EE UU]to obey the global consensus that calls for a ceasefire.”
After four failures, the Security Council adopted its first resolution since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on November 15, calling for “urgent and prolonged humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to provide sufficient assistance to the civilian population. of the strip. On this occasion, the United States, as well as the United Kingdom and Russia, abstained from voting because the text did not condemn Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. The British abstention was due to the same reason, while the Russian abstention was because they considered the initiative modest and inadequate.
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