U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly votes to demand an immediate ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war
The vote signifies global support for wider calls to end the conflict, as the U.S. stands by Israel.
The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday voted in favor of a nonbinding resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, which is now in its third month.
Israel launched its military campaign against Hamas in retaliation for the militant group’s brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken as hostages. Israel’s aggressive attacks have devastated the Gaza Strip, killing more than 18,000 people since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The mounting civilian death toll and increasingly dire conditions for those remaining in Gaza have fueled calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, including from the United Nations.
What is the vote that took place on Tuesday?
In an emergency special session, the United Nations General Assembly voted on a resolution to demand an immediate ceasefire. The resolution, which passed with 153 members in favor, 10 against — including the U.S. — and 23 abstentions, also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza and urges both sides to comply with international law to protect the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations.
The measure needed support from two-thirds of the General Assembly’s 193 members, none of whom has veto power, in order to pass.
What will the approved resolution actually do?
The approved General Assembly resolution is not legally binding, unlike Security Council resolutions.
However, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Monday that messages from the UNGA “are also very important” and hold a lot of political weight, reflecting the sentiment of the global community and its support for ending the Israel-Hamas war.
Didn’t the U.N. hold a ceasefire vote last week? How is this one different?
Last Friday, the U.N.’s 15-member Security Council held a vote on a draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Like the resolution considered by the General Assembly on Tuesday, that measure made no mention of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The Security Council voted 13-1 in favor of the ceasefire resolution, with the U.S. standing alone as the sole dissenter and the United Kingdom abstaining from the vote.
Last Friday’s Security Council vote came after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres invoked Article 99 of the U.N. Charter to urge immediate action to stop what, he warned, was a “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. Article 99, which hadn’t been used since 1971, enables the U.N. chief to “bring to the attention” of the Security Council any threats they may see to international peace and security.
Why did the U.S. vote against a ceasefire?
During the emergency session on Tuesday, the U.S. said that while it supported components of the resolution, it didn’t go far enough to condemn Hamas and its actions, which is why the U.S. proposed an amendment to do so.
“We support speaking out with one voice to condemn Hamas for its terrorist actions on October 7. Why is that so hard?” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield asked Tuesday. The amendment to condemn Hamas ultimately failed to get enough votes before the original ceasefire resolution ultimately passed in the General Assembly.
The U.S. and Israel have thus far objected to a ceasefire because they believe it would benefit only Hamas. Instead, the U.S. supports pauses in fighting to protect Palestinian civilians, to get humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and to allow for the release of remaining Hamas-held hostages, eight of whom are Americans.
