| UNGeneral Assembly Resolution ES-10/21 | |
|---|---|
 In favour Against Abstentions Absent Non member | |
| Date | 27 October 2023 |
| Meeting no. | 10th Emergency Special Session (continuation) |
| Code | A/RES/ES-10/21 (Document) |
| Subject | Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations. |
Voting summary |
|
| Result | Adopted |
United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/21 is a resolution of thetenth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly relating to theGaza war.
It called for an "immediate and sustained" humanitarian truce and cessation of hostilities, condemned "all acts of violence aimed at Palestinian and Israeli civilians" and "[d]emands that all parties immediately and fully comply with their obligations under international law".
The resolution was introduced byJordan following four failed attempts at resolutions on humanitarian pauses and ceasefires in theU.N. Security Council. It was adopted on 27 October 2023 by a vote of 121 to 14, with 44 abstentions.[1]
On October 17, 2023, aU.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for humanitarian access, safe evacuation of civilians, and release of hostages was proposed by Russia's U.N. delegation. It did not receive the required nine votes in the UNSC, only receiving four votes in favor, four votes against, and six abstaining.[2] On October 18, a Brazilian UNSC resolution calling for a ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and including an explicit condemnation of Hamas actions against Israel, was vetoed. The U.S. delegation argued that since the resolution did not "mention Israel's right of self-defense," the U.S. was vetoing it.[3]
United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/21 was introduced by Jordan on behalf of a group of Arab states following four failed attempts at resolutions on humanitarian pauses and ceasefires in theU.N. Security Council.[4] 21 other Arab countries worked on the resolution draft.[5][6][7] The resolution has 47 sponsoring states (shown in voting table below).[8][9]
The Canadian U.N. delegation proposed an amendment to the resolution condemningHamas. Although a majority of U.N. members supported this, the amendment fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority to be adopted, with a vote of 88 in favor, 55 against, and 23 abstentions.[10][11][1] The proposed amendment also condemned "the taking of hostages and...demanded the safety, well-being and humane treatment of those hostages."[1]
On October 25, United Nations Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres called for a ceasefire, during a speech in which he stated that the attacks by Hamas "did not happen in a vacuum" and needed to be understood in the context of 56 years of Israel's "suffocating occupation" of Palestinians, further stating that "the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."[12][13] Israel responded by saying it would ban UN representatives from Israel to "teach them a lesson", and called for the General-Secretary's resignation.[14][15]
Due to a technical fault in Iraq's electronic voting equipment, the result was initially incorrectly presented as 120 in favour.[16][17]
The Guardian reported that the US and Israel appeared isolated after only 12 countries joined them in opposing the motion, half of which were Pacific islands.[19] The Israeli representative to the United Nations,Gilad Erdan, condemned the resolution, claiming that the UN "no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy or relevance",[20] while U.S. representativeLinda Thomas-Greenfield blasted the resolution as "outrageous".[21] In addition, theOlof Skoog, Permanent Observer for the European Union, regretted the use of vetoes against theU.N. Security Council resolution, the representatives ofState of Palestine,Turkey,Qatar,Syria,Ghana,France,Russia,Iran, andEgypt noted their support of the resolution, whileJamaican representative Brian Christopher Manley Wallace called on all parties to end the conflict, andVenezuelan representativeJoaquín Alberto Pérez Ayestarán, speaking on behalf of theGroup of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter, called on Israel to adhere to international law.[1][5] In a statement explaining the reasoning behind their yes vote, theSwiss delegation noted that it condemned the Hamas attacks and was in favour of the Canadian amendment, but supported the resolution because it responded to the need of allowing humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.[22] The U.S. delegation also called the resolution "deeply flawed."[5]Tarek Ladeb, the Tunisian ambassador to the U.N., stated thatTunisia abstained on the resolution because it failed to denouncewar crimes andgenocide against Palestinians by Israeli forces.[23]
Other responses were mixed.Eli Cohen, the IsraeliMinister of Foreign Affairs, stated onTwitter that Israel "categorically reject[ed]" the resolution, and added, "Israel intends to eliminate Hamas just as the world dealt with the Nazis and ISIS."[10] Cohen also called the resolution "repugnant" and said that Israel "firmly rejects it."[24] TheCzech Republic voted against the resolution, the country's ambassador to the U.N., Jakub Kulhánek, voting against it, arguing that the resolution did not condemn Hamas' actions, recognize Israeliright to self-defense, and did not include a "demand for the release of hostages." On social media, Czech Defense MinisterJana Černochová stated that theCzech Republic should leave the United Nations, a view which was rejected by the country's Prime Minister (Petr Fiala), Foreign Minister (Jan Lipavský) and other cabinet officials.[25]
The Philippines abstained in the vote regarding the resolution despite supporting several points of the draft. It wanted explicit condemnation of Hamas' attack on 7 October.[26][27] Australia also abstained due to the omission of Hamas in the draft as the perpetrator of the 7 October attacks.[28]
In a statement, Hamas expressed its support for the resolution and stated that it needed to be immediately implemented.[24]Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, religious affairs minister forMalaysia, argued that with the passage of the resolution, ceasefire can be achieved and humanitarian aid can "be given to the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza." In another statement, the MalaysianMinistry of Foreign Affairs expressed the government's support for the resolution.[29][30] The Pakistani caretaker Foreign Minister,Jalil Abbas Jilani, called on the international community to pressure Israel to respect the "UN resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza."[31] A joint statement issued byCommunist Party of India (Marxist) and theCommunist Party of India condemned India's decision to abstain on the resolution. The two political parties said it negated the country's support for Palestinianself-determination and argued that it indicated that the country's foreign policy was "shaped by being a subordinate ally ofUS imperialism."[32]Voreqe Bainimarama, formerprime minister of Fiji and current leader ofFijiFirst, criticized Fiji's vote against the resolution, stating it contradicted the country's "long-standing legacy as peacekeepers."[33] TheArab Parliament affirmed the resolution, and stated that "serious measures" to pressure Israel to comply with the resolution should be implemented.[34]
Part of theGaza–Israel conflict, theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict, and theMiddle Eastern crisis (2023–present) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
