<\/p>\n
9 January 2024<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
SEVENTY-EIGHTH SESSION,<\/p>\n
51ST & 52ND MEETINGS (AM & PM)<\/p>\n
GA\/12580<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Speakers in the\u00a0General Assembly today examined the recent use of veto by the United States against an amendment to Security Council resolution 2720 (2023) on Gaza that would have called for \u201can urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access\u201d and for \u201curgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities\u201d.<\/p>\n
The meeting was held under the Assembly\u2019s standing mandate to convene within 10 working days of a veto being cast in the Council.\u00a0 On 22\u00a0December, the United States vetoed an amendment proposed by the Russian Federation.\u00a0 Subsequently, the Council adopted\u00a0resolution 2720 (2023) \u2014 tabled by the United Arab Emirates \u2014 by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with 2 abstentions (United States, Russian Federation). \u00a0(See Press Release\u00a0SC\/15546<\/a>.)<\/p>\n At the start of today\u2019 meeting, Assembly Vice President Cheikh Niang (Senegal) said the adoption of\u00a0resolution 2720 (2023) was a welcome step.\u00a0 He\u00a0urged all parties to fully implement it and all other relevant texts, including those adopted in the context of the Assembly\u2019s Tenth Emergency Special Session on the matter. \u00a0\u201cOur immediate priority must be to protect civilians and save lives,\u201d he stressed, encouraging all Member States to keep this shared goal at the forefront of the day-long debate, during which\u00a050 delegates took the floor.<\/p>\n Explaining its use of veto, the representative of the United States stressed that his delegation worked closely with many others in good faith to craft a strong, humanitarian-focused resolution to get more humanitarian aid into \u2014 and hostages out of \u2014 Gaza.\u00a0 However, one Council member continued to advance amendments and ideas disconnected from the situation on the ground.\u00a0 It is troubling that so many Member States have stopped talking about the plight of the more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas and other groups.<\/p>\n Further, it is striking that, while many countries urge an end to the conflict, there are few demands for Hamas to stop hiding behind civilians, lay down their arms and surrender, he said, emphasizing: \u00a0\u201cThis would have been over if Hamas\u2019 leaders had done that.\u201d<\/p>\n The Russian Federation\u2019s delegate recalled that the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of the Arab States, had presented a robust draft resolution on increasing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, which also contained an important political element \u2014 a clear and unequivocal call for a cessation of hostilities in the territory. \u00a0But the United States, after several days of arm-twisting, managed to remove a call for a cessation of hostilities.<\/p>\n Calling the watered-down resolution a \u201clicense\u201d for Israel to continue killing Palestinian civilians in Gaza, she stressed the need for the Council to clearly demand a full-fledged ceasefire.\u00a0 Without it, implementing the Council\u2019s decisions in Gaza is simply impossible, she added.<\/p>\n The Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine said that the Council is being prevented from calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, which is indispensable to achieve all humanitarian aims. \u00a0\u201cThis schizophrenia needs to end,\u201d he asserted, recalling that 153 Member States voted for a ceasefire in the Assembly resolution of 12\u00a0December\u00a02023 (document\u00a0A\/ES-10\/L.27<\/a>) at its resumed Tenth Emergency Special Session. \u00a0\u201cThis assault is without precedent in modern history in the scale and pace of killing of children, of UN personnel, of medical and rescue teams, of journalists,\u201d he said, asking: \u00a0\u201cHow can you reconcile opposing these atrocities and vetoing a call to end the war\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Underscoring that famine, the spread of infectious diseases and death in new forms and shapes is not an unforeseen consequence of a war but an Israeli war method \u2014 a man-made, occupation-made humanitarian catastrophe \u2014 he demanded: \u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t call for peace and spread fire. \u00a0If you want peace, start with a ceasefire.\u201d<\/p>\n Presenting a counterargument, Israel\u2019s delegate said that 96 days have passed since Hamas butchered and exterminated 1,300 Israelis and took 240 people hostage. \u00a0However, the\u00a0Assembly or any other United Nations body has yet to condemn such acts. \u00a0Among the hostages was a nine-month-old boy, Kfir, who marked his first birthday in captivity. \u00a0Instead of love from his family members, he is surrounded by terrorists. \u00a0Demanding a ceasefire is tantamount to keeping Hamas in power as it would allow the group to reorganize and continue terror.<\/p>\n Calling the\u00a0United Nations morally bankrupt, he urged it to hold Hamas accountable for its horrific acts and ensure the release of Kfir and other hostages. \u00a0The\u00a0UN is focusing only on the well-being\u00a0of Gazans, who voted for Hamas, while ignoring Israeli victims. \u00a0By remaining silent, the world body\u00a0has become an accomplice to terrorists. \u00a0Israel supports all humanitarian assistance, he said, rejecting a claim that his Government is obstructing aid. \u00a0Hamas is looting critical supplies before they reach those in need. \u00a0The war will end immediately if Hamas releases all hostages, he added.<\/p>\n The representative of Bahrain, speaking for the Arab Group, called on the international community to provide humanitarian aid \u201cin large amounts and non-stop\u201d to Palestinians in Gaza. \u00a0Three months have passed since the start of Israeli aggression in the territory.\u00a0Yet, the Council is still unable to establish a ceasefire, which harms the UN\u2019s credibility in terms of its ability to address current and future crises.<\/p>\n A just solution to the Palestinian cause is the only way to establish security and stability in the region, he said, reiterating the importance of urgently bolstering international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and ensure independence for the State of Palestine, within the 4\u00a0June\u00a01967 border lines and with East Jerusalem as its capital.<\/p>\n The speaker for Iran said that the United States has once again indicated a lack of commitment to ending the violence in Gaza and safeguarding civilian lives. \u00a0\u201cThe veto granted Israel unchecked freedom for [\u2026] indiscriminate bombings on civilian infrastructure and the population of Gaza without any time constraints,\u201d he said, adding that the obstruction by Washington, D.C., starkly contrasts with global appeals for an end to the bloodshed.<\/p>\n Austria\u2019s delegate pointed out that the veto in question was cast against an oral amendment, which makes it different from previous instances in which the General Assembly has met to discuss use of this measure.\u00a0 This time, the Council was not prevented from acting, as it was still able to adopt a resolution. \u00a0However, he stressed that every veto in the Council should be met with the same consequences.\u00a0 He therefore welcomed today\u2019s debate to increase transparency.<\/p>\n \u201cDemands for a ceasefire fell on deaf ears,\u201d said T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s representative, noting that the two resolutions adopted so far by the Council failed to call for an immediate ceasefire. \u00a0As the veto has become an arbitrary, detrimental tool \u2014 \u201cwhere common good is sacrificed to individual interest\u201d \u2014 the need for Council reform is both indisputable and undeferrable, she stressed.<\/p>\n In the same vein, the speaker for Egypt insisted that Council reform is the only means for the organ to shoulder its responsibilities and protect civilian lives. \u00a0Such reform, however, will not occur without Arab and African States being represented as permanent members, accorded the same privileges as those granted to current ones, including the veto right. \u00a0Detailing his country\u2019s efforts to end the war and alleviate its humanitarian consequences since the beginning of the crisis, he underscored that Egypt \u201cwill not allow the Palestinian cause to be liquidated\u201d.<\/p>\n South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel before the International Court of Justice concerning its violations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, said its representative, declaring: \u00a0\u201cWe cannot allow for senseless bombing to continue under the misleading and inaccurate guise of the right to self-defence.\u201d \u00a0To alleviate the suffering of Gazans, an immediate ceasefire must be demanded, he emphasized.<\/p>\n Kenya\u2019s speaker said that the veto stands as \u201cone of the world\u2019s greatest anti-democratic symbols\u201d, endorsing the Common African Position that advocates for the abolition of the veto, as it contradicts the UN Charter\u2019s fundamental principle of sovereign equality of States. \u00a0\u201cThe world is divided between the great mass of States and peoples on one side, and the powers and privileges of the victors of a war that is eight decades old,\u201d he said, adding: \u00a0\u201cIt is time to use this moment not to wring our hands but to join them in a powerful drive for reform\u201d.<\/p>\n Malaysia\u2019s delegate said that the call for a ceasefire or \u201can urgent suspension of hostilities\u201d would have made a significant difference if it was not vetoed. \u00a0The killings of Palestinians could have been stopped, more humanitarian aid could have reached those in desperate need and many lives could have been saved.<\/p>\n \u201cThe minimum that should be expected is a ceasefire,\u201d said Mexico\u2019s speaker,\u00a0<\/u>emphasizing that unhindered access for humanitarian assistance cannot be achieved without it. \u00a0She sounded the alarm over the repercussions of the conflict across the region, pointing to the increase in attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem; the constant bombings in the vicinity of the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel; and the attacks by the Houthi militias in the Red Sea. \u00a0All States to join the French-Mexican initiative to voluntarily limit the use of veto in the case of mass atrocities.<\/p>\n The Republic of Korea\u2019s representative stressed that implementing resolution 2720 (2023) is vastly more important than its mere adoption.\u00a0It is time to seriously consider the day after the conflict.\u00a0 The only way to stop the cycle of violence is to realize a two-State solution.\u00a0 His country, as a new non-permanent Council member, will work tirelessly in cooperation with other members towards that aspiration.<\/p>\n In other business, the Assembly adopted draft resolution\u00a0A\/78\/L.34<\/a>\u00a0without a vote.\u00a0 By the text, the Assembly decided to proclaim 16\u00a0September as the International Day of Science, Technology and Innovation for the South, to be observed annually.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 9 January 2024 SEVENTY-EIGHTH SESSION, 51ST & 52ND MEETINGS (AM & PM) GA\/12580 Speakers in the\u00a0General Assembly today examined the recent use of veto by the United States against an amendment to Security Council resolution 2720 (2023) on Gaza that would have called for \u201can urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe 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