Gaza Strip: UN General Assembly Resumes Debate on Ceasefire

April 8, 2024 Hour: 4:21 pm

On Monday, the UN General Assembly is set to take up the Palestinian issue in a session that coincides with criticism over rising civilian casualties, attacks on humanitarians and non-compliance with the ceasefire.

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The meeting, stemming from Security Council discussions on the ceasefire, will review one of the documents submitted to the horseshoe last month and then vetoed by China and Russia.

The proposal, drafted by the U.S., was described as one-sided and unclear in its aim to achieve a ceasefire.

The text faced strong criticism from Arab countries, represented by Algeria, for its lack of a real message of peace and fundamental concerns.

#US‘ recent #UNSC draft text on #Gaza “plays with words,” setting preconditions for a ceasefire
If adopted, the “killings in Gaza” would have continued
China has no hesitation exercising its veto in such circumstances
Rez 2728 is 1st to explicitly call for immediate ceasefire
US… pic.twitter.com/WdWyjk8izm

— PassBlue (@pass_blue)
April 8, 2024

Russia’s permanent ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, claimed that the text did not explicitly call for a ceasefire but tried to “sell a product” to the Council by using the word imperative.

Nebenzia singled out the U.S. delegation for deliberately trying to mislead the international community with a draft that simply played to the American voters by employing a false call for a ceasefire.

For his part, the Palestinian ambassador to the body, Riyad Mansour, warned against singling out Israel for its crimes and the possibility expressed in the text for a future military operation to the southern governorate of Rafah.

“We are against forcible transfer in and out of Gaza, and we totally reject any attempt to storm and attack the Rafah area, including Rafah City,” the diplomat added.

A few days later, the Council adopted the first Ramadan ceasefire resolution tabled by its ten non-permanent members, with 14 votes in favor and the U.S. abstaining.

However, Israel has so far ignored the binding norm and, on the contrary, continues its offensive against civilians and humanitarian targets on a scale considered unprecedented by the UN itself.