The UN General Assembly is set to vote on Thursday on a draft resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, after the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza following a US veto.
Diplomats expect the 193-member UN General Assembly to approve the text by an overwhelming majority, despite pressure from Israel on the countries voting on the draft resolution.
Thursday's vote also comes ahead of a UN conference next week aimed at giving momentum to international efforts toward a two-state solution.
Last week, the United States vetoed a draft resolution in the UN Security Council calling for the immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and for its safe and unhindered distribution on a wide scale, including through the United Nations and humanitarian partners throughout the Gaza Strip.
The remaining countries on the 15-member council voted in favor of the draft resolution. These efforts come at a time when a humanitarian crisis is sweeping the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people, and the United Nations is warning of a looming famine. Only a small amount of aid has entered the Strip.
It should be noted that General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, but they carry weight because they reflect the global perspective on the war. Previous calls by the Assembly to end the war have been ignored. Unlike the Security Council, no country has veto power in the General Assembly.
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The UN General Assembly is voting today on a draft resolution calling for an end to the war on Gaza.