Beijing, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on achieving a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on December 12 with 153 countries in favor, 10 against, and 23 abstentions. U.S. ** Joseph Biden said on the same day that Israel was "losing" international support for its "indiscriminate bombing" of the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, differences between the United States and Israel are becoming prominent on the issue of governance in the Gaza Strip after the end of the current round of conflict.
This is the scene of the emergency special session vote filmed at the United Nations headquarters in New York on December 12. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the United Nations, Photo by Roy Felipe).
The resolution adopted on 12 June expressed grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of Palestinian civilians, stressed the need to protect Palestinian and Israeli civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and the unimpeded humanitarian access.
The President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, noted that the world is witnessing "the suffering of civilians, the collapse of the humanitarian system and the extreme disrespect for international law and international humanitarian law". Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, said the General Assembly had sent a "strong message" and that "today is historic".
On December 12, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, addresses an emergency special session. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the United Nations, Photo by Roy Felipe).
Of the more than 180 countries that participated in the vote, only 10 voted against, including the United States and Israel. Before the vote, Australia, Canada and New Zealand issued a joint statement saying that the "dwindling security space" for civilians in the Gaza Strip is worrying and that "the continuing suffering of all Palestinian civilians" cannot be the price to pay for Hamas. Australia, Canada and New Zealand all voted in favour of the vote.
An injured child receives ** at a hospital in Deir al-Bailah in the Gaza Strip on 11 December. Xinhua News Agency.
According to the Associated Press, the United States voted on 8 August to veto a draft resolution of the United Nations Security Council aimed at promoting a humanitarian ceasefire between Palestine and Israel. A number of Arab countries then urged the UN General Assembly to convene an emergency special session on the 12th to vote on a draft with the same demands. Although General Assembly resolutions are not as legally binding as Security Council resolutions, they represent the general will of the international community to a certain extent and have moral force.
At a time when the United States is increasingly isolated by the international community for its support of Israel's military campaign against the Gaza Strip. According to the Associated Press, the United States, a close ally of Israel and the largest arms nation, now seems to be the only country that can persuade Israel to accept a ceasefire.
On October 30, Biden signed an executive order on the regulation of artificial intelligence at the White House in Washington. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Aaron).
Biden said at an event in Washington, the capital of the United States, on the 12th that Israel is "losing" the support of the international community because of its "indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip".
In addition, Israel** is reluctant to accept the two-state solution and has differences with the United States on issues such as the governance of the Gaza Strip.
The two-State solution refers to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and fully sovereign. This programme has received broad support from the international community.
According to a number of ** reports, the US hopes that the Palestinian National Authority led by the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) will restore control of the Gaza Strip, but Israel opposes it.
The United States also reminded Israel not to repeat the mistakes of the United States. Biden was quoted by AFP as saying he had told Netanyahu that the United States had made a "mistake" after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. After the 9/11 attacks, the United States and its allies launched the war in Afghanistan, overthrew the Taliban regime, and stayed there for a long time under the pretext of counterterrorism. In nearly 20 years of war, in which a large number of Afghans and thousands of U.S. soldiers died, the United States spent a lot of money on the war and finally withdrew its troops. (Wang Yijun).