UN Condemns Gaza Starvation
Piloted by Spain, the resolution, co-sponsored by Pakistan and 47 other states, garnered 149 votes in favour to 12 against, with 19 abstentions.
Among those opposing the resolution were the United States and Israel, who were joined, among others, by Argentina, Hungary, and Paraguay.
India, Georgia, Ecuador, Romania, and Ethiopia were among the countries that abstained.
Under its terms, the resolution strongly condemns the use of starvation as a weapon of war, demands a full lifting of the Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid, and insists on the protection of civilians under international law.
Although General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, they carry significant political and moral weight.
On 4 June, the Security Council failed to adopt its draft resolution after a veto by the United States, a permanent member. There is no veto in the 193-member Assembly.
Meanwhile, famine conditions continue to threaten lives across Gaza, and reports persist of civilians being killed or injured while trying to access food at distribution points operated independently of the UN but supported by Israel and the US.
Israeli fire kills 60 in Gaza, many near aid site, medics say
Opening the special session, General Assembly President Philemon Yang said that “the horrors in Gaza must end” after 20 months of war. He criticized the Security Council’s ongoing paralysis and inability to fulfill its core responsibility to uphold peace and security.
He called the situation on the ground “unacceptable”, highlighting the deprivation of food, water, and medicine for civilians, the continued captivity of hostages, and the need for urgent international action.
President Yang noted that next week’s high-level meeting in New York on implementing a two-State solution, chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, saying it would offer a chance for renewed commitment towards peace in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“We meet here on the 614th day of a full-fledged assault against the Palestinian people,” underscored the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour.
“This illegal, immoral situation cannot continue; it has to stop and stop immediately,” he said, pointing to Israel’s siege against Palestine — “where over 2 million people have been subjected to relentless bombardments, wanton destruction and engineered starvation”.
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