The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution drafted by Arab states, calling for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas. The resolution was passed by a margin of 120 to 14, with 45 countries abstaining. The United States and Israel voted against the resolution. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stated that voting against the resolution would mean supporting the ongoing war and killings. Israel criticized the vote as disgraceful.
Although the resolution does not have binding power, it reflects global opinion as the conflict between Israel and Hamas enters its third week. The General Assembly vote followed the failure of the UN Security Council to take action over the past two weeks, with veto powers from the US and Russia preventing proposals supported by other Council members.
The approved resolution calls for an immediate and lasting humanitarian truce to halt hostilities. It also strongly rejects any attempts to forcibly transfer the Palestinian civilian population. The resolution emphasizes the need to avoid further escalation of the conflict and demands increased humanitarian aid for Gaza. Only a few aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza in the past week.
An amendment introduced by Canada that would have condemned the Hamas attack did not receive the necessary two-thirds majority. The resolution calls for the prompt release of all civilians being held hostage and condemns all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks, without specifically naming Hamas.
Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan argued that a ceasefire would give Hamas time to rearm and claimed that the vote was not intended to bring peace but to limit Israel’s actions. Earlier, Erdan had stated, “The only place this resolution belongs is in the dustbin of history.”