The United Nations General Assembly votes today, Wednesday, December 11, 2024, on a draft resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a move that remains symbolic after the United States vetoed a similar text in the Security Council.
At the end of last November, the United States exercised its right of veto to protect Israel, which for more than a year has been carrying out a military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has caused the death of nearly 45,000 people, tens of thousands of wounded and missing, in a context marked by a vast campaign of forced displacement, massive destruction and a deadly famine having cost the lives of many Palestinians, including women, children and the elderly.
At the time, the Americans blocked the adoption of a resolution in the Security Council demanding a ceasefire ” immediate, unconditional and permanent » in Gaza, making any truce conditional on the release of hostages held in the besieged territory.
Faced with the impasse that paralyzes the Security Council on burning issues such as Gaza and Ukraine, the General Assembly has made a habit of providing regular political support to the Palestinians.
It is expected that the General Assembly will adopt this Wednesday, a draft resolution similar to the text presented to the Security Council in November 2024, knowing that the resolutions of the General Assembly are not binding.
The text calls for a “ immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire » as well as the “ immediate and unconditional release of all hostages« .
It also calls for safe access and “ without hindrance » massive humanitarian aid, including in the northern part of the territory “ besieged“, while denouncing any attempt to “ food deprivation of Palestinians« .
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out devastating bombings and military operations in the territory that has been under siege for more than 17 years.
During the first day of deliberations in the General Assembly last week, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said: “ Today, Gaza is the bruised heart of Palestine, an open wound for humanity« .
« The images of our children in burned tents, empty stomachs, without hope or perspective after more than a year of suffering and loss, should haunt the conscience of the world and push it to act to end this nightmare“, he added calling for an end to “ Israel’s impunity« .
In this regard, the draft resolution emphasizes the “ principle of responsibility » and asks the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to present “ propositions » to support compliance with this principle, using existing mechanisms or creating new ones.
In its first version, consulted by AFP, the draft resolution provided for the creation of an international mechanism to help investigate and prosecute those responsible for crimes committed in the Palestinian territories since 2014.
The General Assembly has already established similar mechanisms, notably to help collect evidence on crimes committed in Syria since the start of the conflict in 2011.
A second draft resolution, also submitted to the General Assembly for a vote today, concerns the fate of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), whose activity in the Gaza Strip is threatened after Israel passed a law banning its operations as of January 28, 2024.
The draft resolution emphasizes that UNRWA is “ irreplaceable ” and calls on Israel to respect its role by allowing it to continue its operations ” without hindrance or restriction » in the Palestinian territories.
Israel has already denounced these two texts, generally criticizing the recent decisions taken against it and accusing the international organization of “ partiality« .
