Tuesday’s pro-Palestinian resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza was a slap in the face of Israel and US, considering the political approach of the countries who voted for it.
As the war in Gaza still continues despite the global demand for a ceasefire, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution this Tuesday, demanding an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. Proposed by Egypt and Mauritania, the UNGA resolution was adopted by 153 votes in favor, 23 abstentions, and only 10 opposed, showing the global demand for an end to Israel’s strikes to Gaza from air and land.
The idea of a UNGA resolution against the Israel-Hamas war was first proposed by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Last week, he announced in a statement that to help end the war in Gaza, he would, for the first time in his career as UN chief, invocate Article 99 of the UN Charter, which the Secretary-General can “bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”
A few days ago on Friday, the UN Security Council failed to ratify a similar resolution due to the veto by the United States, one of the five permanent members of the Council that have veto power.
A change in policy from US-Israel allies in the UN
Tuesday’s resolution was not the first one that the UNGA has adopted addressing the war in Gaza. It was back on October 27 when the UN body voted on a resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.” Back then, the resolution was adopted with a huge margin of 121 votes in favor and 14 opposed. The language of the resolution, however, was not as strong as the UNGA’s latest one on the war adopted Tuesday.
But what makes Tuesday’s resolution even more different than the previous ones from the UNGA is that most of the Global South states that had not supported the Oct 27 resolution were in favor of ceasefire in Gaza this time. These countries include some of the most loyal allies of the US and Israel, namely India, Cambodia, Philippines, Jamaica, Zambia, Ethiopia, Fiji, and Benin, all of whom have always been supportive of the Israeli and US narratives in the United Nations.
Among the above-mentioned countries, India stands out due to its political and economic influence in the world. India is the mostly populated country in the world that also enjoys having the fastest-growing economy worldwide.
Since the war began in Gaza back on October 7, India has been one of the toughest supporters of Israel. The Asian country also has deeply-rooted ties with the United States, economically, politically, and ideologically. India’s support for the UNGA resolution on Tuesday, however, was like a slap in the face of both Washington and Tel Aviv. It is also expected that India’s stance will affect India’s relations with US and Israel.
