Israel-Gaza war
The vote underscores the growing consensus for a ceasefire in the war that has killed more than 18,000 Palestinians
The United States appeared increasingly isolated on the world stage Tuesday after the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
Cheers and clapping echoed through the New York General Assembly chamber as the emergency vote was announced. An overwhelming 153 member states out of the total 193 members supported the resolution, with only ten, including the US, Israel and Austria, voting against it and 23 – including the UK and Germany – abstaining.
The Palestinians had hoped for a clear result that would express the clear global desire for an end to the Israeli bombing of Gaza – and they got it. In contrast, the previous UN resolution of October 27 calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire” received 120 votes in favor, 14 against and 45 abstentions.
The vote highlighted the growing consensus around the world about the need to stop Israel's relentless assault on Gaza, which has left more than 18,000 Palestinians dead. According to reports, up to 70% of those who died were women and children.
UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza – video
The resolution adopted on Tuesday expressed “grave concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population.” It called for the protection of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians under international law and called for the immediate release of all hostages.
An almost identically worded resolution proposed at the UN Security Council on Friday was rejected by the US, underscoring the Biden administration's growing isolation. The US president has expanded his staunch support for Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, leaving him internationally exposed.
Two previous amendments, one from the U.S. condemning the “heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas” and another from Austria clarifying that the hostages “were being held by Hamas and other groups,” both failed to receive the required two-thirds majority .
Before the vote, there were signs that Biden may be taking a more critical stance toward Israel. At a 2024 re-election campaign fundraiser in Washington, he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was losing international support for the war against Hamas – a danger that, paradoxically, now also applies to Biden himself.
Biden warns Netanyahu that Israeli attacks on Gaza are alienating allies
Palestinian envoy to the United Nations Riyad Mansour described the vote in the General Assembly as a reflection of public sentiment that the US could not ignore.
“It is our collective duty to continue on this path until we see an end to this aggression against our people and to ensure that this war against our people stops. “It is our duty to save lives,” he told reporters.
Egypt, which co-sponsored the resolution on behalf of the 22-member Arab group of states, warned urgently of the consequences of the ongoing military actions in Gaza. Egypt's ambassador to the United Nations, Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud, said that waging war could lead to a “full-blown catastrophe” and would mean “using genocide as a tool for war.”
Munir Akram, the UN ambassador for Pakistan, called the war a “one-sided slaughter” and said Israel was more responsible for the conflagration than Hamas. “When you deny people freedom and dignity, when you humiliate them and lock them up in an open-air prison where you kill them as if they were beasts, they become very angry and do to others what was done to them,” he said.
Gilad Erdan, the Israeli UN representative, criticized the resolution because it did not even mention Hamas. He called the group that attacked civilians on October 7 “Hamas Nazis” and said a vote for the ceasefire resolution was a vote for the “survival of jihadist terror and the continued suffering of the people of Gaza.”
Facing a world largely united in opposition to its stance, the U.S. delegation sought to strike a balance between support for Israel and concern for Palestinian civilians. “Israel, like every country in the world, has the right and responsibility to protect its people from terrorist attacks,” said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
She continued: “Israel must prevent mass displacement of civilians in southern Gaza and ensure sufficient humanitarian assistance for those who have fled the violence.”
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