The United Nations General Assembly voted to adopt a draft resolution to deplore the use of excessive force by Israeli troops against Palestinian civilians, with 120 votes in favor, eight against and 45 abstentions.
It was put forward in the General Assembly by Algeria, Turkey and the Palestinians after the United States vetoed a similar resolution in the 15-member U.N. Security Council earlier this month. The eight countries which voted against the resolution were: Australia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Togo, the Israeli regime, and the United States.
The United States failed in a bid to amend the resolution with a paragraph that sought to condemn the Palestinian Hamas movement. 62 countries voted in favour of the US-proposed amendment, 48 countries voted against, and 42 countries abstained from voting. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, was visibly upset that the US-proposed amendment failed to garner enough support. For the umpteenth time, the U.S. stood isolated and defeated at the UN General Assembly vis-a-vis the Palestinian issue.
Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour told the General Assembly before the vote: "We need protection of our civilian population,” , adding that the resolution was “intended to contribute to a de-escalation of the volatile situation."
He added: "We cannot remain silent in the face of the most violent crimes and human rights violations being systematically perpetrated against our people."
The resolution asked Guterres to report back within 60 days on proposals “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation, including ... recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”
More than 120 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza border protests since March 30. The largest number of deaths occurred on May 14, the day the United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
