The United Nations General Assembly called the tenth Emergency Special Session on Friday to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce.” This is the UN’s first formal response to the conflict after the Security Council failed on four occasions to reach a consensus.
This resolution, proposed by Jordan, received 120 votes in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions. It is non-binding, but it is a formal expression of the majority of UN Member States.
It also includes several provisions calling on all involved to comply with international law; to allow of essential goods and services to the Gaza Strip, including UN Access to the Strip itself; to reject the forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population and to ensure the unconditional release of all held captive.
The resolution passed without an amendment proposed by Canada that called for explicit condemnation of Hamas, as it failed to get two-thirds support, with only 85 Member States backing it (55 against and 23 abstaining). Pakistan’s ambassador Munir Akram rebutted Canadian Ambassador Bob Rae’s claim that Canada could not support the resolution until the October 7 Hamas attacks were acknowledged, arguing that the amendment would only be fair if both Israel and Hamas were named, “Israel needs to be named too, if you are to be fair and equitable and just.” He said that not naming either side, as in the Jordanian resolution, was ideal.
The Assembly President, Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, resumed the session by condemning the 7th October Hamas attack on Israel, “The right of self-defence does not – and cannot – lawfully give license to undertake indiscriminate and disproportionate reprisal.” He also condemned and rejected ” any indiscriminate targeting of innocent civilians in Gaza and the scale of destruction of critical infrastructure by Israel.” Francis further mourned the killings of 35 UN personnel due to the conflict, asserting the importance of humanitarian and medical staff’s safety. He ended by urging the Member States to use the session to reach a resolution that would be best for all, in line with the UN’s humanitarian duties, rather than “further fan(ning) the flames of hate, division and revenge. Let us seize the opportunities to unify our purpose and our actions to save lives and to end all violence.”
Representatives of both Palestine and Israel lamented the UN’s attitude to the conflict.
H.E. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, claimed that “this is not a war. This is an assault on a civilian population.” He cited statistics saying that 7,000 Palestinians, including 3,000 children, have been killed by Israel in the last two weeks. “Nothing can justify war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Nothing. You are setting us back 80 years by trying to justify what Israel is doing. How naive one has to be, or how hypocritical to pretend, that they don’t know Israel is voluntarily killing Palestinian civilians.”
Gilad Menashe Erdan, Ambassador of Israel, stated in response to the resolution passing that “today is a day that will go down in infamy’, that the world has witnessed that the UN ‘no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy.” Erdan said that the UN was founded after the Holocaust, but Israel just endured the largest massacre of Jews since then. He further claimed the majority “are committed to ensuring further atrocity,” by claiming Israel has “no right to defend itself.” Erdan asserted that Hamas controls the information coming out of Gaza, and trusting it is like “trusting reports from ISIS.” He asked the UN, “Why are you defending terrorists that deliberately beheaded children and abducted babies? … Why are you not holding Hamas accountable?”
Mansour was thankful for the resolution, saying it was vital as the Security Council remains deadlocked. “We are one in seeking an end to the killing … This is not something the representatives of the occupying Power will ever understand.”
The Emergency Special Session will reconvene on Tuesday, continuing the debate.
