Israeli military operations against “Hamas” continue and have left thousands of civilians dead, while hundreds of thousands more have had to leave their homes. The UN says the humanitarian situation in Gaza is very poor. his is why a resolution was tabled at the UN General Assembly expressing concern about the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the suffering of Palestinian civilians,” as well as stressing that “Palestinian and Israeli civilians must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
The legally non-binding document calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, calls for the protection of civilians, access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
The text of this resolution is largely akin to a resolution blocked by the US at the UN Security Council last Friday.
Of the 193 Member States of the UN General Assembly, 153 countries supported the resolution, including Latvia, 10 voted against and 23 abstained.
Even before the vote, the US and Israel expressed their displeasure with the text of the resolution, saying it did not condemn the “Hamas” atrocities against Israeli civilians during the Oct. 7 invasion.
The UN General Assembly adopts resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and immediate release of all hostages.
— Naomi O'Leary (@NaomiOhReally) December 12, 2023
153 in favour, 10 against, 23 abstain.
How the EU voted:
For: 🇧🇪🇭🇷🇨🇾🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇫🇷🇬🇷🇮🇪🇱🇻🇱🇺🇲🇹🇵🇱🇵🇹🇸🇮🇪🇸🇸🇪
Against: 🇦🇹 🇨🇿
Abstain: 🇧🇬🇩🇪🇭🇺🇮🇹🇱🇹🇳🇱🇷🇴🇸🇰 pic.twitter.com/WW4EsIpJoB
Estonia, like Latvia, supported the resolution, while Lithuania abstained.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs press secretary Diāna Eglīte told Latvian Radio that Latvia supported the resolution based on both humanitarian and other considerations.
“International aid providers point out that, as things are, they are no longer able to provide humanitarian support to Gaza's civilians. It should also be stressed that this vote was important from the point of view of support for the UN system. It is also important for Latvia in a broader context, thinking about supporting a rules-based international order,” says Eglīte.
“Before this vote, as usual, we coordinated closely with the other Member States of the European Union, especially the Nordic countries and the other Baltic States, which generally took a common position in the vote,” Eglīte said.
