For the Russians, the solution was to bypass the Security Council and propose an emergency session of the General Assembly. More than 50 countries in the Middle East and Africa also support the initiative, forcing General Assembly President Dennis Francis to call the meeting.
If a veto from one of the five powers in the Security Council is enough to prevent the adoption of a resolution, Arabs and Russians are betting that this rule will not apply to the General Assembly. A majority of votes is enough for the project to be approved. However, the difference is that the weight of the resolution is not the same.
In a letter obtained by UOL and sent by these governments to the Presidency of the General Assembly, the Arab Group and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Group at the United Nations in New York, they call for “the resumption of the tenth special session”. Emergency meeting of the General Assembly following the veto by a permanent member of the Security Council on October 18, 2023 of a draft resolution addressing the serious situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.”
The letter states:
Given the seriousness of the situation, in particular due to the military aggression of the occupying power Israel against the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip, which has so far killed thousands of civilians, including children, women and the elderly, injured tens of thousands of people, caused rampant destruction of houses and other civilians property and infrastructure and caused catastrophic humanitarian conditions, risking an even more dangerous destabilization of the situation, endangering even more civilian lives and jeopardizing international peace and security. It is urgent that the General Assembly convene to address this crisis.
Throughout the negotiation process for Brazil’s resolution, Itamaraty gave in and acceded to several American demands in the hope that the text could be adopted.