The head of the UN General Assembly reminded delegates at the opening of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly on Wednesday that 43,000 Palestinians have lost their lives and more than 100,000 have been injured in the Gaza war. Most of them are women and children.
Reiterating the demand for immediate implementation of ceasefire in Gaza, unconditional release of all hostages, uninterrupted supply of humanitarian aid to the needy, he said, all warring parties must fully comply with international humanitarian law.
According to Philemon Young, “The demands of the international community are very clear, yet the Security Council is helpless, and unable to fulfill its primary responsibility of maintaining peace and security.”
The head of the General Assembly said this conflict can only end when Israel and Palestine live together in peace, security and dignity as sovereign, independent nations.
He highlighted the important role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and said that food, water, protection, medical care and other services are being provided to millions of Palestinians in extremely adverse conditions.
But despite these important humanitarian aid operations, UNRWA’s future in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is at stake.
The head of the General Assembly warned that if the Israeli parliament passed two laws targeting UNRWA’s activities, it would be impossible for the UN agency to continue its vital work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Palestine
Palestinian representative Riyad Mansour, speaking as an observer at the General Assembly, said ethnic cleansing was being carried out in broad daylight in northern Gaza.
Every hour, every day, more and more Palestinian women, children and men are victims of Israeli attacks, he said. Lives are being lost, families are being destroyed and entire populations are being terrorized, brutalized and traumatized.
Riyad Mansour said, 424 days later, the genocide continues and the most serious crimes are being committed, with a level of brutality not seen since World War II.
He questions how this is possible, how the world allows this to happen, when everyone knows about the criminals and their crimes.
Israel
Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Danny Danon, said that every year, the same exercise takes place in the UN General Assembly and attempts to villainize Israel through the same boring resolutions.
He said that the bias and prejudice of the United Nations in these steps are visible to everyone. The Israeli representative noted that it began 77 years ago, when the UN General Assembly voted on the UN Partition Plan.
“A moment that allowed Israelis and Palestinians to live together in peace. Israel said yes, the Arab world said no. They refused to co-exist, instead declaring war on the nascent Jewish nation.”
Danny Danon said the attack on Israel and civilians on October 7 last year should have shaken the world’s soul, but there was silence in the Assembly and not a single resolution condemning Hamas was passed.