Today, Friday, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for an “immediate humanitarian truce” in the Gaza Strip. 120 members supported the resolution, while 14 opposed it, while 45 abstained from voting, out of 193 members of the General Assembly.

The vote came in an emergency and extraordinary session to discuss the war in Gaza, where the United Nations General Assembly voted on a draft resolution prepared by the Arab group and adopted by dozens of countries after introducing amendments to it, to call for an “immediate, permanent and sustainable humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” between Israel and Hamas. », as well as the «immediate and unconditional release» of all civilian hostages.

The resolution, prepared by Jordan on behalf of the Arab Group, which includes 22 countries, requested "an immediate, permanent and continuous humanitarian truce that leads to a cessation of military operations." The previous version of the resolution called for an "immediate ceasefire."

The result of the vote showed a division among Western countries, especially European countries, as France supported the resolution, while Germany, Italy, and Britain abstained from voting, and Austria and the United States voted against the resolution.

Israel and the United States criticized the non-binding resolution for not referring to Hamas.

Arab welcome and Israeli discontent

The decision was welcomed by Arabs and dissatisfaction from the Israeli side. The Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, thanked the General Assembly for its “brave” position in approving the draft resolution.

Mansour said in a press conference after voting on the draft Arab resolution that this resolution confirms that the General Assembly is “the house that defends truth and justice.” He added that the decision "has become more effective and important in light of the start of the ground aggression against Gaza today."

Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, also welcomed the decision, expressing his hope that “not much time will be wasted and many lives will be lost until what is included in the decision is implemented.” Meanwhile, Hamas demanded the immediate implementation of the General Assembly’s decision to bring fuel and relief materials to civilians.

For his part, the Israeli representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, described the General Assembly’s vote on a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, without referring to the Hamas movement, as “disgraceful,” addressing those who supported the resolution, “Shame on you.”

Erdan said, "It is a dark day for the United Nations and humanity," stressing that Israel will continue to use "all means" at its disposal with the aim of "saving the world from the evil represented by Hamas" and "returning the hostages" held by the Palestinian movement in the Gaza Strip.

Guterres' cry

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a cry in which he said that the humanitarian system in Gaza “faces complete collapse with unimaginable consequences for more than two million Palestinian civilians.” He stressed that “given the miserable and tragic situation, the United Nations will not be able to continue providing aid inside Gaza without an immediate and fundamental shift in how and how much aid is provided,” adding that “life-saving humanitarian aid - food, water, medicine and fuel - must be allowed to reach all civilians quickly, safely and on a large scale.” Welcoming “the growing global consensus on a humanitarian truce in the conflict,” he called for “a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies in the required volume” so that “the people of Gaza do not face an unprecedented torrent of human suffering.”

Discussions before voting

During the heated discussions on the General Assembly platform in New York, negotiations continued on the draft Arab resolution, which was adopted as of Friday morning by 39 countries: the Kingdom of Jordan, Palestine, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Mauritania, Somalia, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, and the islands. Comoros, Djibouti, Russia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brunei Darussalam, Belize, Bangladesh, Botswana, Bolivia, Turkey, North Korea, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, El Salvador, Senegal, Venezuela, Cuba, Malaysia, Maldives, Namibia and Nicaragua.

Substantial modifications

Based on requests from a number of the 193 member states of the General Assembly, the Arab Group introduced a set of amendments to the text of the resolution, including rephrasing the first working paragraph, which was “demanding an immediate ceasefire,” and which in the amended text became “calling for a truce.” Immediate, lasting and sustainable humanitarian action leading to a cessation of hostilities.”

A slight change was added to the second paragraph: “All parties call for immediate and full compliance with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, in particular with regard to the protection of civilians and civilian objects, and the protection of humanitarian personnel.” , persons hors de combat, facilities and assets for humanitarian purposes, and enabling and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance, including basic supplies and services, to all civilians in need in the Gaza Strip.”

Civilian hostages

The seventh working paragraph was also amended to read: “Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians who are illegally detained, and demands that their safety and well-being be guaranteed and that they be treated humanely in accordance with international law.”

Except Israel

In the emergency session, speaker after speaker supported the Arab resolution’s call for a truce, with the exception of Israeli delegate Gilad Erdan, who said, “A ceasefire means giving (Hamas) time to rearm itself, so they can slaughter us again.” Citing several statements by Hamas leaders and their pledge to destroy Israel and the Jews, he added, “Any call for a ceasefire is not an attempt at peace. “It is an attempt to tie Israel’s hands and prevent us from eliminating a major threat to our citizens.”

He stressed that the war has nothing to do with the Arab-Israeli conflict, but rather, “This is not a war with the Palestinians.” “Israel is at war with the jihadist terrorist organization Hamas, which practices genocide.”

“Stop the killing”

But calls for a ceasefire, the protection of Palestinian civilians facing the ongoing Israeli bombing in Gaza, and the delivery of food, water, medicine and fuel that they desperately need, were often emotionally charged due to the killing of about 1,400 Israelis, according to official information, compared to more than seven thousand Palestinians. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Palestinian delegate Riyad Mansour reported that 70 percent of those killed in Gaza were children and women. He asked: “Is this the war that some of you are defending? Is this war defensible? These are crimes. “This is barbaric.” "If you don't stop it for the sake of all those who were killed, stop it for the sake of all those whose lives we can still save," he said.

Mansour's voice shook when he spoke about a Palestinian girl who was killed before the Christmas that her father had planned, and about a man embracing the body of his deceased mother and saying to her: “Come back, I will take you wherever you want!”

Applause for Jordan

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, on behalf of the 22-nation Arab group, spoke with emotion about children dying under the rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli precision bombs, some of whom are still alive and trapped without equipment to extract them. “The parents can still hear them,” he said. They talk to them helplessly, knowing that they are running out of air and are slowly dying.”

In a rebuke to the Israeli ambassador, Al-Safadi said: “I do not have video clips to show you. We respect the dead very much. “We respect their families’ pain so much that we do not show the videos.” He addressed the members of the United Nations: “Do not let them tell you that this is a war between Muslims and Jews,” adding: “We value life, Islamic life, Christian life, Jewish life.”

He was interrupted by loud applause in the hall when he said: “We care about everyone’s lives (...) Don’t let them tell you otherwise.” He stressed that Israel “cannot remain above international law, which requires the protection of civilians, hospitals, schools, homes and other infrastructure,” stressing that “the right to self-defense is not a license to kill with impunity.”

Al-Safadi also criticized the United States and its allies without mentioning them by name. “Many of us believe we are helping Israel by supporting its war,” he said. He added, “Instead of sending weapons to Israel, they sent delegations to open an immediate and viable path to peace. “This is how they can help Israel.”

Saudi Arabia and Egypt

The Saudi Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al-Wasel, speaks during the plenary session at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City (AFP)

The Saudi delegate, Abdulaziz Al-Wasel, called for an “immediate ceasefire,” stressing the Kingdom’s condemnation of attempts at “forced displacement” of Palestinians, and that the Kingdom also condemns “the policy of collective punishment against the residents of Gaza and preventing the arrival of humanitarian aid” to the Strip, pointing to the fall of thousands of victims in Gaza. . He added that the General Assembly session comes “in light of the tragic circumstances faced by the Palestinian people as a result of a bloody and disproportionate military campaign by the Israeli occupation forces.”

His Egyptian counterpart, Osama Abdel Khaleq, stressed the necessity of a ceasefire, saying that “silence is no longer an option” regarding what is happening to the Palestinians. He warned that not stopping the war immediately would drag the region into a “regional war,” and would also lead to “stoking the fires of terrorism and extremism.” He stressed the need to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza under the supervision of the United Nations, reiterating Cairo’s rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians and its demand to provide them with protection.

The American position

However, US Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield demanded that the draft resolution be amended to include “denunciation of the actions of (Hamas) and the release of hostages,” saying that “it is reprehensible that the draft resolution submitted does not mention (Hamas), which committed the October 7 attack,” calling on all countries to vote in favor of this amendment. . She stressed the need for a vision based on a two-state solution, which requires “resolute efforts from everyone, from Palestinians, Israelis, regional partners, and world leaders.”

Greenfield considered that the proposed draft resolution “undermines this vision and includes many shortcomings and does not live up to the level of this moment,” noting that “unilateral decisions, whether in the Security Council or the General Assembly, will not help us advance the peace process.” She also stressed that “it is not possible to return to the situation before October 7,” accusing “Hamas” of “terrorizing Israel and using civilians as human shields.” She added, "We must not return to the situation of settlers who terrorize the Palestinians in the West Bank."