United Nations to vote on demand for immediate Gaza ceasefire despite U.S., Israel opposition
U.S. had vetoed draft resolution demanding an unconditional and permanent ceasefire
The United Nations General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza after the United States vetoed a similar effort in the Security Council last week.
The 193-member General Assembly is likely to adopt the text with overwhelming support, diplomats say, despite Israel lobbying countries this week against taking part in what it called a "politically motivated, counterproductive charade."
General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry weight as a reflection of the global view on the war. Previous demands by the body for an end to the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas have been ignored. Unlike the UN Security Council, no country has a veto in the General Assembly.
Thursday's vote also comes ahead of a UN conference next week that aims to reinvigorate an international push for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The United States has urged countries not to attend.
In a note seen by Reuters, the U.S. warned that "countries that take anti-Israel actions on the heels of the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to U.S. foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences."
The U.S. last week vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that also demanded an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" and unhindered aid access in Gaza, arguing it would undermine U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceasefire.
The other 14 countries on the council voted in favour of the draft as a humanitarian crisis grips the enclave of more than two million people, where the UN warns famine looms and aid has only trickled in since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade last month.
'False and defamatory': Israel's UN ambassador
The draft resolution to be voted on by the General Assembly on Thursday demands the release of hostages held by Hamas, the return of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
It demands unhindered aid access and "strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians ... of objects indispensable to their survival, including wilfully impeding relief supply and access."
"This is both false and defamatory," Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon wrote in a letter to UN member states, sent on Tuesday and seen by Reuters.
Danon described the General Assembly draft resolution as an "immensely flawed and harmful text," urging countries not to take part in what he said was a "farce" that undermines hostage negotiations and fails to condemn Hamas.
Whether the vote will have an effect on the outcome in Gaza is debatable, given previous efforts have produced little result.
In October 2023, the General Assembly called for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza with 120 votes in favour. In December 2023, 153 countries voted to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. And in December last year the body demanded — with 158 votes in favour — an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire.
The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct. 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Many of those killed or captured were civilians.
Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. They say civilians have borne the brunt of the attacks and that thousands more bodies have been lost under rubble.