UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution Urging Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza
UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution Urging Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza
On Friday afternoon, October 27, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution calling for an “immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution also emphasizes the urgent need for continuous and unhindered provision of essential supplies and services to the civilians trapped in the enclave.
Reports indicate that Israel has escalated its ground operations and intensified its bombing campaign in the region.
This non-binding resolution, sponsored by Jordan, garnered significant support from member states, with 120 in favor, 14 against, and 45 abstentions.
Notably, four European Union (EU) countries voted against the resolution, while Estonia and 13 other EU countries chose to abstain.
The EU countries that abstained include Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, and the Netherlands.
The four EU countries voting against the resolution were Austria, Croatia, Czechia, and Hungary.
This resolution represents the United Nations’ initial formal response to the recent escalation of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict, particularly following the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.
Despite efforts to include an unequivocal condemnation of Hamas through an amendment proposed by Canada, which received support from over 35 member states, including the United States, it failed to pass with the required two-thirds majority.
Following the resolution’s adoption, Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, expressed his disapproval, stating that “today is a day that will go down in infamy.”
He criticized the legitimacy of the United Nations and argued that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, questioning the credibility of statistics provided by Hamas.
France’s Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière, speaking after the resolution’s passage, explained his delegation’s favorable vote, stating that “nothing justifies the killing of civilians.”
He emphasized the need to prevent further deterioration of the situation and reiterated the importance of a two-state solution as the only viable path forward.
Tariq Ahmad, the United Kingdom’s minister for the Middle East, called on all parties involved to uphold international humanitarian law, urging the unconditional release of hostages and unrestricted humanitarian access.
Olof Skoog, the European Union’s representative to the UN, stressed the urgency of providing safe and rapid humanitarian access to vulnerable populations, using all available means such as humanitarian corridors or pauses.
However, he emphasized the importance of ensuring that such access cannot be exploited by terrorists.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, acknowledged Israel’s right and responsibility to protect its people from Hamas but emphasized the need to adhere to the rules of war and respect international humanitarian law.
The US criticized the resolution for its failure to mention the extremist group Hamas explicitly.
