Thus, this institution, which includes all 193 UN member states, took the initiative from the Security Council and increased the pressure on Israel and the United States.
153 countries voted for the resolution. By comparison, resolutions condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine are usually supported by about 140 countries.
Ten countries, including the United States and Israel, voted against the resolution, while 23 abstained.
The vote in the General Assembly came after the Security Council, which is responsible for world peace and security, repeatedly failed to accept such a call.
On Friday, the United States, Israel’s most powerful ally and one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, used its veto power to block the latest draft text calling for a cease-fire.
It took the council more than a month since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas to deliver its opinion. It did so in mid-November after four rejected texts only calling for humanitarian breaks during the conflict.
“These tragic attempts are a despicable sign of double standards,” said Osama Mahmoud Abdelchalek, Egypt’s ambassador to the UN, about Washington’s efforts to provide Israel with diplomatic cover ahead of the General Assembly vote.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the besieged Gaza Strip is at risk of a complete collapse of public order.
Many countries and human rights organizations condemned last Friday’s Security Council failure, and Guterres on Sunday called the Council’s authority and credibility undermined.
“We agree that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire,” Washington’s ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said before Tuesday’s vote.
“Precisely because of the diplomacy carried out by the United States […] that week-long humanitarian pause became possible,” she said, referring to the only suspension of hostilities so far last month.
Thomas-Greenfield urged countries to support an amendment to Tuesday’s resolution condemning Hamas, but it was rejected.
It also called on Israel to avoid mass displacement of civilians in the southern Gaza Strip, but said Israel was pursuing legitimate military objectives.
Before the vote, Israel’s UN envoy Gilad Erdan condemned what he called a hypocritical resolution.
“Not only does it not condemn Hamas for crimes against humanity, it doesn’t mention Hamas at all,” he said.
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2024-08-10 06:24:01
