[News] United Nations votes overwhelmingly in favour of humanitarian truce in Gaza

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 United Nations votes overwhelmingly in favour of humanitarian truce in Gaza

*Resolution drafted by Arab states passes by margin of 120 to 14, with 45
abstentions at the UN General Assembly.*
[image: Voting results are displayed as the Unite Nations General Assembly
voted on a nonbinding resolution calling for a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza]
Voting results are displayed as the United Nations General Assembly voted
on a nonbinding resolution calling for a 'humanitarian truce' in Gaza and a
cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian armed group
Hamas on Friday, October 27 [Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo]
Published On 27 Oct 2023
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/united-nations-votes-overwhelmingly-in-favour-of-humanitarian-truce-in-gaza
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The United Nations General Assembly has voted
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/unga-calls-for-humanitarian-truce-in-israel-hamas-war-how-countries-voted>
overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution calling for an immediate
humanitarian truce between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

The 193-member body passed the resolution, drafted by a group of 22 Arab
countries, by a margin of 120 to 14, with 45 countries abstaining. The
United States and Israel voted no.

Speaking before the vote, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that
voting against the resolution “means approving this senseless war, this
senseless killing”. Israel denounced the vote as “infamy”.

The resolution is non-binding, but serves as a barometer of global opinion
as fighting between Israel and Hamas nears the end of its third week,
following an assault by Hamas on southern Israel that killed more than
1,400 people.

The body convened as Israel intensified its bombardment on Gaza
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/israel-intensifies-gaza-bombardment-as-internet-and-phone-services-go-down>,
where phone and internet service have been cut off and Israel has engaged
in limited ground skirmishes before an expected invasion.

The General Assembly voted after the UN Security Council had failed to take
action over two weeks, with the US and Russia using their veto powers
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/18/us-vetoes-un-resolution-calling-for-humanitarian-pause-in-israel-hamas-war>
to block proposals supported by the other.

The adopted resolution calls for an “immediate, durable and sustained
humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” and “firmly
rejects any attempts at the forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian
population”.

It also stresses the need to avoid a wider escalation of the fighting and
demands increased humanitarian aid for Gaza, where only a small handful of
trucks carrying aid have been allowed to enter over the last week.

A Canadian-introduced amendment to the resolution that would have added a
condemnation of the Hamas attack did not receive the necessary two-thirds
majority.

The resolution calls for the immediate release of all civilians being held
hostage and condemns “all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks”
including those on Israeli civilians, but does not name Hamas specifically.

Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan said that “a ceasefire means giving Hamas
time to rearm itself,” and that the vote was not intended to bring peace
but to “tie Israel’s hands”.

Speaking on Thursday, Erdan had said, “The only place this resolution
belongs is in the dustbin of history”.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
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