On Thursday, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution that called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade on the besieged Palestinian territory.
The resolution, drafted by Spain, also condemns the “use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and calls for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli captives.
The resolution passed with a vote of 149-12 and 19 abstentions. The vote came about a week after the US used its veto power on the UN Security Council to block a Gaza ceasefire resolution.
Ahead of the UN General Assembly vote, both the US and Israel argued against the resolution. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said the line about Israel using starvation as a weapon of war was a “blood libel.”
Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shay said the resolution was “one-sided” because it didn’t condemn Hamas and said it “sends an unacceptable message to Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist proxies, and that message is, you will be rewarded for taking hostages, diverting aid, and launching attacks from civilian areas.”
Shay provided the “no” vote at the UN Security Council last week to veto the Gaza ceasefire resolution. The Biden administration vetoed several Gaza-related resolutions at the Security Council, but Wednesday’s vote marked the first time the new Trump administration used its veto power to block a Gaza ceasefire resolution on behalf of Israel.
Shay claimed that the resolutions would impede US diplomatic efforts, but there’s no sign that negotiations are making any progress toward a ceasefire. In the meantime, the US continues to support Israel’s genocidal war and what have become daily massacres of Palestinians seeking aid.
