<\/p>\n
The\u00a0General Assembly today demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, reiterated its demand for the immediate release of all hostages and demanded that Israel allow the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(UNRWA) to proceed with its aid operations without restriction in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.<\/p>\n
Resuming its tenth emergency special session (for background, see Press Release\u00a0GA\/12663<\/a><\/em>), the 193-member body continued its consideration of \u201cIllegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory\u201d, adopting by a recorded vote two resolutions on the matter.<\/p>\n By terms of the first text, titled \u201cDemand for ceasefire in Gaza\u201d (document\u00a0A\/ES-10\/L.33<\/em><\/a>), adopted with 158\u00a0votes in favour to 9\u00a0against (Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Israel, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, United States), with 13\u00a0abstentions, the Assembly demanded immediate access by the civilian population in the Gaza Strip to basic humanitarian aid.\u00a0 Underscoring that UNRWA remains the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza, the Assembly rejected actions that undermine the Agency\u2019s mandate.\u00a0 The Assembly also reiterated its commitment to the vision of a two-State solution, with Gaza part of the Palestinian State, and where two democratic States, Palestine and Israel, live side by side in peace.<\/p>\n The Assembly also adopted a text titled \u201cSupport for the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u201d (document\u00a0A\/ES-10\/L.32<\/a><\/em>) \u2014 with 159\u00a0votes in favour to 9\u00a0against (Argentina, Israel, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, United States), with 11\u00a0abstentions \u2014 calling on the Israeli Government to abide by its international obligations.\u00a0 At a time of heightened conflict and instability in the Middle East, the Agency continues to play an indispensable role in alleviating the plight for over 6 million Palestine refugees, it stressed, urging immediate efforts to address the agency\u2019s financial and operational crises.<\/p>\n Prior to the votes, speakers such as the\u00a0Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam\u00a0expressed disappointment at the Security Council’s failure to fulfil its primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security, as the use of the veto continues to obstruct any action.\u00a0 He urged the Council to overcome the current deadlock and bring about decisive and comprehensive action to address the multifaceted crisis in Gaza and the broader Middle East.<\/p>\n Zimbabwe\u2019s delegate said the vetoed Council draft resolution last month \u201cwould have laid the foundation\u201d for addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.<\/p>\n Colombia\u2019s speaker said that the Council is stagnant on a decision that would \u201cmake the difference between life and death, between reason and atrocities\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cWe must abolish the veto because the veto is a colonial and anti-democratic mechanism which stymies the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Security Council,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n The need for scrutiny over veto use was echoed among many other speakers, as delegates such as that of Saudi Arabia underscored its role in\u00a0undermining multilateralism and placing \u201cthe legitimacy and credibility of the world order at stake\u201d.\u00a0 The veto has been used to prevent any real, substantial action on Gaza more than once over the last 14 months.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile a veto may halt a resolution, it cannot silence the truth or diminish the urgency of justice,\u201d said T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s representative as she pointed out that history will remember those who fail to act and those who \u201cstood on the side of peace\u201d.<\/p>\n The representative of the Russian Federation \u2014 one of five permanent Council members with veto power \u2014 reminded the Assembly that the veto is an instrument which was designed \u201cby the founding fathers of the UN not to give licence to your friends to kill civilians\u201d. \u00a0It was created to ensure that Security Council decisions are balanced in their character. \u00a0\u201cUnfortunately, the United States has not realized this and is using this to encourage the Israeli military machine,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no justification whatsoever\u201d, said China\u2019s delegate on the use of the veto by the United States, \u201cas Gaza has been turned to rubble\u201d and more than 40,000 people have been killed.\u00a0 \u201cThe world cannot go back to the rule of the jungle,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n The representative of the United States, speaking before the resolutions were adopted, said at a time when Hamas is feeling isolated due to the ceasefire in Lebanon, the draft resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza \u201crisks sending a dangerous message\u201d to the group that there is no need to negotiate or release the hostages. \u00a0As such, it will be \u201cshameful and wrong\u201d for the Assembly to vote today to \u201cvindicate Hamas\u2019 cynical strategy of stalling and obstruction\u201d. \u00a0The 193-member organ, he continued, should adopt a resolution to increase pressure on Hamas to accept a deal without conditions or further delays rather than relieving it of same. \u00a0\u201cIsrael\u2019s fight is with Hamas, not UNRWA,\u201d he said, calling for humanitarian workers to not be targeted.<\/p>\n Other speakers such as Malaysia\u2019s representative called for the\u00a0unconditional release of all hostages, citing that hostages being held by Hamas are citizens from various UN Member States, including his own country.\u00a0 He also noted with alarm the escalating violence in the West Bank, where Israeli settlers are \u201cgrowingly emboldened and have become increasingly violent\u201d in their attacks and harassment of Palestinians.<\/p>\n Speakers further deplored the high-ranking Israeli officials who have publicly advocated for annexation of Palestinian land and stressed the need to hold them accountable.\u00a0 Ireland\u2019s delegate, who introduced resolution \u201cL.32\u201d, said the\u00a0global community \u201ccan and must do better\u201d, adding that international humanitarian law \u201cshould guide all of our actions\u201d.\u00a0Indonesia\u2019s speaker, who introduced text \u201cL.33\u201d, said:\u00a0 \u201cIt is time to change the trajectory to save two million children, women and men in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid fast-moving developments in Syria, and echoing the sentiments of several other speakers, Iran\u2019s representative condemned the \u201caggression and invasion by the Israeli occupying forces against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria\u201d.\u00a0 Israel must be accountable for the destruction of infrastructure and further occupation of the Golan, an act which is in clear violation of internationally agreed-upon instruments.<\/p>\n As world attention may have shifted on other developments in the region, Member States urged the UN to spotlight the ever-deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which continues to grow more deadly by the day, the delegate from the United Arab Emirates stressed.\u00a0 It is \u201cshocking that the prices of basic foodstuffs in Gaza have soared by more than 1,000 per\u00a0cent\u201d since October 2023, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cGaza has become a piece of hell,\u201d emphasized Yemen\u2019s delegate, stressing that the stench of death is everywhere. \u00a0Israel, the occupying Power, believing it is above the law, has weaponized hunger as a tool of war. \u00a0Urging all States to put an end to the bloodbath and \u201ctake a united position to achieve peace\u201d, he welcomed the International Court of Justice\u2019s advisory opinion on the matter and condemned the ban on UNRWA\u00a0\u2014 the \u201clifeline of the millions of refugees\u201d.<\/p>\n Iceland\u2019s speaker said that her Government has more than doubled humanitarian contributions to the Occupied Palestinian Territory since the conflict began and called for a reconsideration of Israel\u2019s recent legislation on UNRWA.\u00a0 It is \u201cbeyond belief\u201d that the Assembly is holding yet another emergency session 14 months into the conflict.<\/p>\n In explanation of vote before the vote, Israel\u2019s representative said the resolutions before the Assembly are \u201cbeyond logic\u201d, defying all concepts of morality and evidences his delegation has laid before the Assembly for years.\u00a0 A vote for them is not about protecting humanitarian values but shielding an organization now a \u201chaven for terror\u201d and \u201can entity hopelessly infiltrated by Hamas\u201d.<\/p>\n It is a vote for complicity and not compassion, he went on to say, emphasizing that by demanding a ceasefire today without addressing the hostages, the Assembly \u201cwill once again side with those who weaponize human suffering\u201d. \u00a0Holding up a bundle of letters that his Government had written to UNRWA leadership, each a warning of terrorist activities in the Agency and a \u201cclear call to action\u201d, he lamented \u201cthat nothing was done\u201d. \u00a0The Agency did not act as required. \u00a0\u201cTo stand by UNRWA today is to stand by Hamas,\u201d he added, stressing that demanding a ceasefire while ignoring hostages is \u201cto surrender to terror\u201d. \u00a0\u201cA future for Gaza must be one without Hamas, but it must also be one without UNRWA\u00a0\u2014 without its complicity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Paraguay\u2019s speaker said that having had its own experiences with armed conflict, it reaffirms that the path towards lasting peace and compliance with humanitarian law requires taking into account all points of view, without which \u201cwe will only be postponing a sustainable solution with everyone suffering\u201d. \u00a0Because \u201cL.33\u201d does not provide a balance, \u201cinsisting on condemning only one of the parties\u201d, his delegation cannot support it.<\/p>\n The speaker from the Marshall Islands said that the brutal horror of Hamas\u2019 massacre of 7 October must be addressed, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.\u00a0 That, however, cannot be used to justify the killing of tens of thousands of civilians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 11 December 2024 Tenth Emergency Special Session, 58th & 59th Meetings (AM & PM) The\u00a0General Assembly today demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, reiterated its demand for the immediate release of all hostages and demanded that Israel allow the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near 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over Security Council\u2019s Deadlock and Repeated Failure to End Atrocities in Gaza<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Scrutiny over Use of Veto in Undermining Multilateralism\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Call for Unconditional Release of All Hostages<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Israeli Officials Deplored for Advocating Annexation of Palestinian Land\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Condemnation of Israel\u2019s Invasion of Syria<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Calls to Stay Focused on Deteriorating Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Israel\u2019s Speaker Says Resolutions Adopted Are \u2018Beyond Logic\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n