Palestinians ‘will keep knocking on doors’ after UN ceasefire vote

General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, although they reflect world opinion.

Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support for both resolutions, saying the votes “reflect the resolve and the determination of the international community”.

“We will keep knocking on the doors of the Security Council and the General Assembly until we see an immediate and unconditional ceasefire put in place and until we see humanitarian assistance being distributed at scale in all corners of the Gaza Strip,” he said.

The votes in the 193-nation world body were 158-9, with 13 abstentions, to demand a ceasefire now and 159-9 in support of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), with 11 abstentions.

The votes ended two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group and demanding access throughout Gaza to address the growing humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel and its close ally the United States, were in the minority speaking and voting against the resolutions.

Other opposing both resolutions included Argentina, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga.

The Palestinians and their supporters went to the General Assembly after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution on November 20 demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire.

It was supported by the council’s 14 other members but the US objected that it was not linked to an immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas militants during their attack on Israel on October 7 2023, which triggered the war.

The language of the resolution adopted by the assembly on a ceasefire mirrors the text of the vetoed council resolution. It demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire to be respected by all parties,” while also reiterating a “demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

That language is much stronger than General Assembly resolutions adopted three weeks after the Hamas attack calling for an immediate and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities and on December 12 2023, demanding “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire”.

Wednesday also marked the first time Germany and Italy, who abstained last December, voted in favour of a Gaza ceasefire.

Their support left the US as the only member of the Group of 7 major industrialised nations still opposed.

On the humanitarian front, the resolution rejects “any effort to starve Palestinians” and demands immediate access to civilians to provide aid indispensable to their survival.

The second resolution backs the mandate of UNRWA, which was established by the General Assembly in 1949.

Laws adopted by Israel’s parliament on October 28 banned UNRWA’s activities in the Palestinian territories, a measure to take effect in 90 days.

The resolution reiterates UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ statements that UNRWA is “the backbone” of all humanitarian operations in Gaza and no organisation can replace it. It reaffirms the necessity for UNRWA’s continued “unimpeded operation.”

The resolution calls on the Israeli government “to abide by its international obligations, respect the privileges and immunities of UNRWA” and uphold its responsibility to facilitate the unhindered delivery of aid humanitarian assistance throughout the entire Gaza Strip.

Israel alleges that around a dozen of UNRWA’s 13,000 workers in Gaza participated in Hamas’ attacks on Israel that precipitated the war. It recently provided the UN with more than 100 names of UNRWA staff it accuses of having militant ties.

US deputy UN ambassador Robert Wood reiterated America’s opposition to the ceasefire resolution ahead of Wednesday’s vote and criticised the Palestinians for again failing to mention Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.“At a time when Hamas is feeling isolated due to the ceasefire in Lebanon, the draft resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza risks sending a dangerous message to Hamas that there’s no need to negotiate or release the hostages,” he said.

The Hamas attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw another 250 abducted as hostages. Gaza militants have not returned around 100 hostages, a third of them believed to be dead, and ceasefire efforts have ground to a halt.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry. It says women and children make up more than half the dead but does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.

Mr Wood said the US will continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the war and called UNRWA “a critical lifeline to the Palestinian people.” But he said the UNRWA resolution has “serious flaws” because it fails to create a path to restore trust between the UN agency and Israel — despite US efforts and a US proposal.

Just before the vote, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon accused the resolutions’ supporters of complicity with Hamas, which he said has “hopelessly infiltrated” UNRWA, and denounced their failure to link a ceasefire to the release of the hostages.

“By demanding a ceasefire today without addressing the hostages, this assembly will once again side with those who weaponize human suffering,” he said.

“It will send a message that the lives of innocent Israelis, including children, are not worth your consideration.

“This is not diplomacy. It is appeasement. It is enabling terror and abandoning the innocent.”