On Tuesday, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will convene to reach a consensus on a new resolution aimed at halting the war in Gaza, which erupted on October 7th.
RELATED:
Previously, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) failed on five occasions due to disagreements among its members: in two votes, the text did not garner the required nine votes; in three others, it was vetoed twice by the United States and once by Russia and China. The Council has only managed to reach a consensus without vetoes once.
After the first U.S. veto, the UNGA met on October 28th to call for a "cessation of hostilities," which was supported by three-quarters of the countries but rejected by the United States and Israel. However, this text has no legal consequences. Below is a list of UNSC and UNGA sessions dedicated to the Gaza war:
- October 16th: Russia presents an initial resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire but only gains the support of five members, failing to advance. To pass any resolution, nine favorable votes and no veto are required.
- October 18th: Brazil presents a resolution after lengthy negotiations, replacing the term "ceasefire" with "humanitarian pauses." It secures the support of 12 out of 15 members. Russia and the UK abstain, and the United States exercises its veto right to thwart the Brazilian proposal.
- October 25th: The United States introduces a resolution condemning Hamas's "heinous terrorist attacks" and rejecting "the taking and killing of hostages, murders, torture, rape, sexual violence, and the continued indiscriminate launching of rockets." It receives ten votes in favor but is vetoed by Russia and China.
- October 25th: Russia presents a resolution condemning "Hamas's heinous attacks" but also calling for an "immediate, lasting, and fully respected ceasefire." Only four countries support it, nine abstain, and two vote against.
- October 28th: After the veto in the Council, the matter moves to the General Assembly. On that day, the call for a "cessation of hostilities" in the Assembly is supported by 120 countries, with 45 abstentions and 14 votes against, including those of the U.S., Israel, Paraguay, Guatemala, and small Pacific states.
- November 15th: The Council manages to pass a resolution requesting "urgent and prolonged humanitarian pauses and corridors" in Gaza. Twelve countries vote in favor, while the U.S., Russia, and the UK abstain. However, it has no immediate effects on the ground in Gaza.
- December 8th: A new resolution demanding a ceasefire, presented by the United Arab Emirates and co-sponsored by a hundred countries in total, is once again vetoed by the United States. This time, the use of the veto garners numerous international criticisms, from both Russia and China and countries in Asia and Africa.