Today, Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution demanding a halt to any arms sales to Israel against the backdrop of its ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip, warning of the possibility of “genocide” against the Palestinians.

This is the first decision taken by the Human Rights Council regarding the ongoing Israeli aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October.

28 of the 47 members of the Council voted in favor of the resolution, compared to six who voted against it, including the United States and Germany, while 13 countries abstained from voting, in the last session of the current session of the Human Rights Council.

The resolution condemned "Israel's use of explosive weapons on a large scale" in populated areas in the Gaza Strip, and called on Israel, the occupying power, to "fulfill its legal responsibility to prevent genocide."

Pakistan submitted the draft resolution on behalf of 55 out of 56 countries in the United Nations that are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, with the exception of Albania. It also received support from Bolivia and Cuba, in addition to the State of Palestine.

The resolution called on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories and immediately stop its illegal siege of the Gaza Strip, and any other form of collective punishment.

He called for an end to all transfers of weapons, ammunition and other military equipment to Israel, noting the impact of explosive weapons on hospitals, schools, shelters, and the supply of water and electricity to Gaza, and condemned the use of starvation of civilians as a means of war.

He also called for an immediate ceasefire, condemned “Israeli actions that could amount to ethnic cleansing,” urged all concerned countries to prevent the forced displacement of Palestinians inside the Gaza Strip, and called on Israel to stop expanding its settlements in the Palestinian territories.

The resolution called for ensuring that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) receives adequate funding.

Although the Human Rights Council does not have any binding means to enforce the implementation of its resolutions, this resolution increases the international isolation of the Israeli occupation, puts more pressure on it to stop its continuing crimes against the Palestinian people, and places moral obligations on the countries that support it.