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Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Item 5). Continuation of the debate on the item.

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The UN General Assembly voted by large majority demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza during an emergency session.

The result of the vote was 153 in favor,10 against, and 23 abstentions.

Speaking before the vote today (12 Dec), the President of the General Assembly Dennis Francis reiterated, “the violence must stop. I, therefore, once again, add my voice to the demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. We have one singular priority – to save lives.”

Introducing the draft resolution to the General Assembly, Egyptian Ambassador Osama Mahmoud Abdel Khalek Mahmoud said, “The adoption and implementation of the draft resolution by the General Assembly today, which is specifically called for a ceasefire is the only guarantee for saving innocent civilians.”

He explained, “Paragraph six of the preamble is very balanced and neutral despite what some might claim, it stresses the need for protecting civilians from both sides in line with international humanitarian law.”

Ambassador Mahmoud added, “The draft resolution is calling in its operative paragraphs upon all parties to commit to the protection of civilians and the release of all hostages, and to ensure humanitarian access.”

The United States is amongst the countries that voted against the resolution. It proposed an amendment to the resolution, but it did not gain the majority in a separate vote.

Speaking before the vote, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “We support speaking out with one voice to condemn Hamas for its terrorist actions on October 7. Why is that so hard to say unequivocally that murdering babies and gunning down parents in front of their children is horrific, that burning down houses while family shelter inside and taking civilians hostage is abhorrent?”

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan also spoke before the vote.

He said, “By voting in favor of this resolution, you are supporting the survival of Jihadist terror and the continued suffering of people of Gaza.”

Ambassador Erdan continued, “The exploitation of the Palestinians has made the UN a moral stain on humanity. Why are you continuing to allow them to make the United Nations irrelevant? If this body's intentions are just, why don't you just start by demanding a ceasefire only from those responsible for violating the past two? Why don't you hold the rapist and child murderers accountable?”

“No piece of paper especially one that is adopted by a biased politicized majority will prevent Israel from defending itself against those that seek our destruction,” the Israeli Ambassador reiterated.

He concluded, “Israel is fighting a war for her future. There is not a single Member State here - not a single member state here- that would act differently in a similar situation.”


Speaking to reporters outside the General Assembly Hall after the vote, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said, “This draft resolution demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Let me repeat: demands, the language of demands, it has the power of implementation. It does not call for or urges, it demands.”

He continued, “We will not rest until we see compliance of Israel with this demand from the General Assembly, so that we can see a ceasefire in place, so that we can move into the massive, you know, amount of truckloads of assistance, humanitarian assistance of food, medicine, water and fuel in order to run the hospitals, to run the plants for desalination, and all the things that our people need for survival.”

Ambassador Mansour concluded, “Today was a historic day in terms of the powerful message that was sent from the General Assembly, and it is our collective duty to continue in this path until we see an end to this aggression against our people to see this war stopping against our people. It is our duty to save lives.
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The resumption of the ESS was requested in a letter, dated 8 December 2023, from  H.E. Mr. Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud, Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt and H.E. Mr. Sidi Mohamed Laghdaf, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, in their respective capacities as Chair of the Arab Group and Chair of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation.

Learn more: https://www.un.org/en/ga/sessions/eme...

Read the details:
https://press.un.org/en/2023/ga12572....

Screenshot Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe
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