UN General Assembly calls for Gaza ceasefire in 153-10 vote

The United Nations General Assembly called for a Gaza ceasefire in a 153-10 vote Tuesday, with 23 countries abstaining, hours after US President Joe Biden warned Israel it was losing support for its military campaign to oust Hamas from the coastal enclave.

“This is a new moral [low] and a mark of disgrace [for] the biased and hypocritical organization,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement posted on X after the vote.

The resolution, whose passage was greeted with applause in New York, marks the second time the UNGA has called for a cease-fire since Hamas sparked the Gaza war with its October 7 invasion of southern Israel.

The United States and Israel opposed the measure, as did Austria, the Czech Republic, Guatemala, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay.

The vote revealed an almost 28% drop in support for Israel in the two months since the war began. On October 28, the UNGA voted 120-14 for a ceasefire.

Among those countries that changed their votes were Canada and Australia, which had abstained in October but on Tuesday voted for the ceasefire. The country took that step as its Deputy Foreign Minister, Tim Watts, was on a solidarity trip to Israel.

The European Union almost doubled its ceasefire support. Nine EU nations backed a ceasefire in October compared to the 17 EU countries that voted Tuesday to end the war.

In a post on X, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said the UNGA had taken a clear stance, writing “I urge the parties to implement the resolution.”

Both the October and December General Assembly ceasefire resolutions failed to condemn Hamas for massacring 1,200 people and seizing some 240 hostages on October 7, or for its firing of rockets at civilian targets over the last two months. The two resolutions didn’t even name the terrorist group.

Erdan turns the tables 

Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan called on the UNGA to take Hamas to task for starting the war and for their atrocities.

“The time has come to put the blame where it belongs – on the shoulders of the Hamas monsters solely responsible for the situation!” he exclaimed.

That is unlikely to happen, however, because, “you cannot even bring yourselves to condemn Hamas! Not even to mention them!” he declared. “I honestly don’t know how you can look in the mirror after supporting a resolution that doesn’t condemn Hamas and doesn’t even mention them by name!”

“But you know what? I have an idea: If you want a real ceasefire, here is the right address,” Erdan said as he held up a white poster with the photograph of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his phone number.

“This is the phone number of Hamas’s office in Gaza. Call +970-599-3765, and ask for Yahya Sinwar,” Erdan said. “Tell Hamas to put down their arms, turn themselves in, and return our hostages. This will bring a complete ceasefire that will last forever!”

Palestinian Authority envoy Riyad Mansour welcomed the vote, saying that it reflected a “historic day” that allowed the UN to help save lives, particularly those of the children.

He noted that it is obvious that Israel is losing support “except from a handful of countries that are not so significant in terms of their weight in global potlucks.” Even the United States understands that “enough is enough: Now is the time to stop this war. Now is the time to tell Israel you cannot continue killing this massive number of Palestinians.”

Hamas has asserted that 18,205 Palestinians have been killed in war-related violence in Gaza, a number that has not been verified by any external sources. Israel has stated that at least 7,000 of those killed in Gaza were Hamas terrorists.

US supports parts of resolution, criticizes others

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the General Assembly before the vote that her country supported many aspects of the resolution.

“We agree that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire and requires urgent and sustained attention; that civilians desperately need food and water, shelter, and medical care. That a devastating number of innocent people have been killed, and that civilians must be protected, consistent with international humanitarian law,” she said.

“But here is what else we support: We support speaking out with one voice to condemn Hamas for its terrorist actions on October 7,” she said, as she took issue with the resolution’s failure to condemn the terrorist group and its brutality in that attack.

“Why is that so hard? To say, unequivocally, that murdering babies and gunning down parents in front of their children is horrific. That burning down houses while families shelter inside and taking civilians hostage is abhorrent,” Thomas-Greenfield asked.

“In addition, the United States supports immediately addressing the reports of horrific sexual violence unleashed by Hamas on and after October 7,” she said. “Over the last 20 years, the UN has repeatedly underscored the need to investigate all reports of conflict-related sexual violence. It’s long past time [for] every member [to] apply that same standard to the assaults committed by Hamas.”

She noted that it was Hamas that broke the seven-day pause last month “by committing a vicious terror attack in Jerusalem, firing rockets into Israel, and then failing” to free those hostages it had agreed to release.

“Let’s be realistic here. This is a terrorist group that no member state would tolerate living next to,” the ambassador pointed out. “So long as Hamas remains driven by its murderous ideology, any ceasefire right now would be temporary at best and dangerous at worst.”