UN General Assembly to meet over Israel-Hamas war

UNITED NATIONS, United States

The United Nations General Assembly will meet Thursday to discuss the conflict triggered by the attack by Hamas militants on Israel, the body’s president announced in a letter to member states.

A general view during a vote at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the conflict between Israel and Hamas at UN headquarters in New York, US, Oct. 16, 2023.

The Security Council has so far failed to agree on a resolution concerning the war, but a number of states — including Jordan on behalf of an Arab group of nations, Russia, Syria, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia — formally requested General Assembly President Dennis Francis to schedule the meeting.

Last week, the UN Security Council, regularly divided on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, rejected a Russian draft resolution calling for a “humanitarian pause.”

Only five of the 15 member states had supported the text, which condemned all violence against civilians and all terrorist acts, but did not name Hamas, an unacceptable omission to the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

Washington then vetoed a second resolution put forward by Brazil as the text did not mention Israel’s right to defend itself.

Twelve out of 15 Council members voted in favor of that resolution, which also condemned the “heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas,” while Russia and the United Kingdom abstained.

The United States was the only vote against, but as one of the body’s five permanent members its vote counts as a veto.

The Security Council will meet to discuss the issue Tuesday ahead of the General Assembly’s gathering Thursday at 10:00 am (1400 GMT).