The General Assembly prepares to vote on halting the Gaza war after the Security Council’s failure
The draft text presented to the United Nations General Assembly closely resembles a resolution rejected by the Security Council due to the U.S. veto
The United Nations General Assembly is holding a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza, as announced by the spokesperson for the Assembly’s president on Sunday, following the failure of the Security Council on Friday to vote on a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the Palestinian territory due to Washington’s obstruction of the resolution in this direction.
The spokesperson said in a statement that the meeting, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, came at the request of representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab Group.
According to diplomatic sources, the General Assembly, whose resolutions are non-binding, can consider the draft text. The draft text largely addresses the resolution rejected by the Security Council on Friday due to the U.S. veto.
The text expresses concern about the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip” and “calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities for humanitarian reasons.” It also calls for the protection of civilians, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the “immediate and unconditional” release of all hostages.
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The United States used its veto on Friday against a Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza despite pressure from the UN Secretary-General, who denounced the “collective punishment” suffered by the Palestinians.
Thirteen of the 15 Council members voted in favor of the resolution, with the United States opposing and the United Kingdom abstaining from voting on the text proposed by the United Arab Emirates.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Arabs are at odds with Washington over ending the “Israeli atrocities,” noting that Israel is focusing on goals beyond its declared objectives for the war in Gaza, describing it as a systematic effort to empty the Gaza Strip of its population.
The session was held after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the Charter of the International Organization, allowing him to “bring to the attention” of the Council a file that “may endanger international peace and security,” in the first activation of this article in decades. The Americans, allies of Israel, reiterated on Friday their rejection of a ceasefire.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said, “We do not support calls for an immediate ceasefire.” He added, “This will only lead to sowing the seeds of future war because Hamas has no desire for permanent peace,” expressing regret also for the lack of condemnation of the Islamic Movement’s attacks on October 7, describing it as a “moral failure.”
The Israeli military campaign forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants to leave their homes, and many have been displaced several times. With the intensification of fighting throughout the Strip, residents and United Nations agencies say there is now no safe haven, while Israel doubts this, and the Palestinians insist that the Israeli campaign has turned into a scorched-earth war to retaliate against the entire population of the Strip.
