UN General Assembly demands Gaza truce

UNITED NATIONS – The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution Tuesday demanding a ceasefire in Gaza – taking the lead from the paralyzed Security Council and piling pressure on Israel and Washington.

The body, which includes all 193 UN member-nations, voted 153 in favor of the resolution – exceeding the 140 or so countries that have routinely backed resolutions condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Ten countries including the United States and Israel voted against it, while 23 abstained.

After abstaining in October, the Philippines voted in favor of the UN resolution.

Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Antonio Lagdameo expressed hopes for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“While we condemn the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks perpetuated by Hamas, the Philippines emphasizes adherence to International Humanitarian Law, especially the principles of proportionality and distinction in response to security threats,” he said during the 10th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly.

“It is imperative that any military action consider the impact on civilians and strives to minimize, if not eliminate, collateral damage,” he added.

The Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said the vote marked “a historic day in terms of the powerful message that was sent from the General Assembly.”

The vote came after the Security Council – responsible for global peace and security – has repeatedly failed to make such a call.

On Friday, the US, Israel’s most powerful ally and one of only five permanent members of the Security Council, wielded its veto to halt the latest draft text calling for a truce.

The Council took more than a month after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas militants to speak out – and it did so with a weak voice, calling in mid-November after four rejected texts for humanitarian “pauses” in the conflict.

“These tragic attempts are a despicable sign of double standards,” Egypt’s ambassador to the UN Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud said of Washington’s efforts to provide Israel diplomatic cover ahead of the vote in the General Assembly.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of a looming