Iran Press/America: The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution with 158 votes in favor, 9 against, and 13 abstentions, calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution also emphasized the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli prisoners held by Hamas. The United States and Israel were among those opposing the resolution. This symbolic action by the General Assembly follows a similar measure that was vetoed in the UN Security Council.
Late last month, Washington exercised its veto power in the council to support Israel. This move blocked the Security Council's call for a ceasefire, stating that the link between the ceasefire and the release of all so-called "hostages" must be maintained. On Wednesday, Deputy U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood reiterated this stance, stating that passing the draft resolution would be "shameful and wrong."
Full Support for UNRWA
The UN General Assembly adopted the second resolution related to UNRWA with 159 votes in favor, 9 against, and 11 abstentions. This resolution reaffirms the Assembly's full support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in all its areas of operation, including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
UN Resolutions Highlight Gaza War, Global Ceasefire Call Ignored
The adoption of these two resolutions by a significant majority of UN member states indicates the international community's stance on the Gaza conflict and UNRWA's activities. As the Gaza war enters its fifteenth month, Israel continues to reject ceasefire proposals, persisting in what is described as the genocide of the oppressed people of Gaza and employing starvation as a weapon. Despite Israel's refusal to heed the global call for a ceasefire, the Biden administration continues to provide substantial political and military support to Israel, offering only superficial warnings to Tel Aviv without utilizing political and financial leverage to compel Israel to end the Gaza war.
A crucial point is that the overall stance of the international community towards developments in the occupied Palestinian territories is based on condemning Israel and demanding it to comply with global requests. In this context, on December 4, the UN General Assembly, despite opposition from the United States and Israel, adopted a resolution to hold a peace conference in New York next June to peacefully resolve the Palestine issue.
Israel's Growing Isolation
The adoption of these resolutions by the UN General Assembly, despite being non-binding, indicates the increasing global isolation of Israel and the widening distance many countries are taking from it, as well as the erosion of its soft power. Meanwhile, the United States, as Israel's unconditional supporter, not only continues to provide military and arms aid to Israel, thereby perpetuating the killing of the oppressed Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, but also has vetoed UN Security Council draft resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. This essentially gives Tel Aviv a green light to continue its atrocities.
