United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/22

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UN General Assembly Resolution ES-10/22
In favour  Against  Abstentions  Absent  Non member
Date	12 December 2023
Meeting no.	10th Emergency Special Session (continuation)
Code	A/ES-10/22 (Document)
Subject	Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations.
Voting summary	153 voted for 10 voted against 23 abstained
Result	Adopted

United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/22 is a resolution of the tenth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war, "immediate and unconditional" hostage release, "ensuring humanitarian access" and that "all parties comply with their obligations under international law".

Procedures and background

On 27 October 2023, the General Assembly passed resolution ES-10/21 calling for a humanitarian truce with a 121 votes for, 14 against and 44 abstentions. ^[1]

ES-10/22 followed a similar motion calling for an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages in the UN Security Council (UNSC) proposed by the UAE. The resolution received 13 votes for and 1 abstention with the US vetoing it. ^[2]

The resolution proposed by Egypt received an amendment by Austria, which inserted the phrase "held by Hamas and other groups," in relation to the hostages held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza, and inserting the word “immediate" when referring to ensuring that humanitarian access be maintained, ^[3] which did not gain the two-thirds majority required, with 89 votes for, 61 against and 21 abstentions, so was not adopted. ^[4] An amendment from the United States of America, calling for wording rejecting and condemning "heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas that took place in Israel starting 7 October 2023 and the taking of hostages" in resolution's first paragraph, garnered 84 votes for, 62 against and 25 abstentions so did not reach the two-thirds threshold to be carried. ^[3]

Voting record

In favour (153) States sponsoring (marked †) [5]	Abstaining (23)	Against (10)	Absent (7)
Afghanistan †   Albania   Algeria †   Andorra   Angola †   Antigua and Barbuda †   Armenia   Australia   Azerbaijan †   Bahamas †   Bahrain †   Bangladesh †   Barbados †   Belarus †   Belgium †   Belize †   Benin †   Bhutan   Bolivia †   Bosnia and Herzegovina †   Botswana †   Brazil †   Brunei †   Burundi   Cambodia †   Canada   Central African Republic †   Chad †   Chile †   China †   Colombia †   Comoros †   Congo †   Costa Rica †   Côte d'Ivoire   Croatia   Cuba †   Cyprus   Democratic Republic of the Congo   Denmark   Djibouti †   Dominica †   Dominican Republic   Ecuador   Egypt †   El Salvador †   Eritrea †   Estonia   Ethiopia †   Fiji †   Finland †   France   Gabon   Gambia †   Ghana   Greece   Grenada †   Guinea   Guinea Bissau †   Guyana †   Honduras †   Iceland †   India   Indonesia †   Iran   Iraq †   Ireland †   Jamaica †   Japan   Jordan †   Kazakhstan   Kenya †   Kuwait †   Kyrgyzstan †   Laos †   Latvia   Lebanon †   Lesotho †   Libya †   Liechtenstein   Luxembourg †   Madagascar   Malaysia †   Maldives †   Mali   Malta †   Mauritania †   Mauritius   Mexico †   Monaco   Mongolia   Montenegro   Morocco †   Mozambique †   Myanmar †   Namibia †     Nepal   New Zealand   Nicaragua †   Niger   Nigeria †   North Korea †   North Macedonia   Norway †   Oman †   Pakistan   Peru †   Philippines †   Poland   Portugal †   Qatar †   Moldova   Russia †   Rwanda   Saint Kitts and Nevis †   Saint Lucia †   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines †   Samoa   San Marino †   Saudi Arabia †   Senegal †   Serbia   Seychelles   Sierra Leone   Singapore †   Slovenia †   Solomon Islands   Somalia †   South Africa †   South Korea   Spain †   Sri Lanka †   Sudan †   Suriname †   Sweden    Switzerland   Syria   Tajikistan †   Tanzania   Thailand †   Timor-Leste †   Trinidad and Tobago †   Tunisia †   Tuvalu   Turkey †   Uganda †   United Arab Emirates †   Uzbekistan †   Vanuatu   Vietnam †   Yemen †   Zambia †   Zimbabwe †	Argentina   Bulgaria   Cabo Verde   Cameroon   Equatorial Guinea   Georgia   Germany   Hungary   Italy   Lithuania   Malawi   Marshall Islands   Netherlands   Palau   Panama   Romania   Slovakia   South Sudan   Togo   Tonga   Ukraine   United Kingdom   Uruguay	Austria   Czech Republic   Guatemala   Israel   Liberia   Micronesia   Nauru   Papua New Guinea   Paraguay   United States	Burkina Faso   Eswatini   Haiti   Kiribati   São Tomé and Príncipe   Turkmenistan †   Venezuela † [a]
Observer States:   Holy See and   State of Palestine †

This is mocked voting on ES-10/21 on December 8, 2023, during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War into the ceasefire and humanitarian obligations

In favour (120)	Abstaining (38)	Against (10)	Absent (25)
Afghanistan   Algeria   Andorra   Angola   Antigua and Barbuda   Armenia   Azerbaijan   Bahamas   Bahrain   Bangladesh   Barbados   Belarus   Belize   Bhutan   Bolivia   Bosnia and Herzegovina   Botswana   Brazil   Brunei   Chad   Chile   China   Colombia   Comoros   Congo   Costa Rica   Côte d'Ivoire   Cuba   Denmark   Djibouti   Dominican Republic   Ecuador   Egypt   El Salvador   Eritrea   Estonia   Fiji   Finland   France   Greece   Guinea   Guyana   Honduras   Iceland   India   Indonesia   Iran   Iraq   Ireland   Japan   Jordan   Kazakhstan   Kenya   Kuwait   Kyrgyzstan   Laos   Lebanon   Lesotho   Libya   Liechtenstein   Luxembourg   Malaysia   Maldives   Mali   Malta   Mauritania   Monaco   Mongolia   Montenegro   Morocco   Mozambique   Myanmar   Namibia     Nepal   New Zealand   Niger   Nigeria   North Korea   Oman   Pakistan   Peru   Philippines   Poland   Portugal   Qatar   South Korea   Moldova   Russia   Saint Lucia   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   San Marino   Saudi Arabia   Senegal   Serbia   Sierra Leone   Singapore   Slovenia   South Africa   Spain   Sri Lanka   Sudan   Suriname    Switzerland   Syria   Tajikistan   Tanzania   Thailand   Timor-Leste   Trinidad and Tobago   Tunisia   Tuvalu   Turkey   Uganda   United Arab Emirates   Uzbekistan   Viet Nam   Yemen   Zimbabwe	Albania   Argentina   Australia   Belgium   Bulgaria   Cabo Verde   Cameroon   Croatia   Cyprus   Equatorial Guinea   Ethiopia   Georgia   Germany   Ghana   Hungary   Italy   Latvia   Lithuania   Malawi   Marshall Islands   Mexico   Netherlands   North Macedonia   Norway   Panama   Paraguay   Romania   Rwanda   Slovakia   South Sudan   Sweden   Tonga   Ukraine   United Kingdom   Uruguay   Vanuatu   Zambia	Austria   Canada   Czechia   Guatemala   Israel   Liberia   Micronesia   Nauru   Papua New Guinea   United States	Benin   Burkina Faso   Burundi   Cambodia   Central African Republic   Democratic Republic of the Congo   Dominica   Eswatini   Gabon   Gambia   Grenada   Guinea-Bissau   Haiti   Jamaica   Kiribati   Madagascar   Saint Kitts and Nevis   Sao Tome and Principe   Seychelles   Solomon Islands   Somalia   Togo   Turkmenistan   Venezuela [a]
Observer States:   Holy See and   State of Palestine

Draft amendment

[A] Voting on 89 favour, 61 against, 20 abstained and 23 absent

In favour (89)	Against (61)	Abstained (20)	Absent (23)
Albania   Andorra   Argentina   Armenia   Australia   Austria   Barbados   Belgium   Bosnia and Herzegovina   Bulgaria   Cabo Verde   Cambodia   Canada   Chile   Colombia   Costa Rica   Croatia   Cyprus   Czechia   Denmark   Ecuador   Estonia   Ethiopia   Fiji   Finland   France   Georgia   Germany   Ghana   Greece   Guatemala   Honduras   Hungary   Iceland   India   Ireland   Israel   Italy   Japan   Kenya   Latvia   Liberia   Liechtenstein   Lithuania   Luxembourg   Malawi   Malta   Marshall Islands   Mexico   Micronesia   Monaco   Montenegro   Myanmar   Nauru     Nepal   Netherlands   New Zealand   North Macedonia   Norway   Palau   Papua New Guinea   Paraguay   Peru   Philippines   Poland   Portugal   Moldova   Romania   Rwanda   Samoa   San Marino   Serbia   Seychelles   Singapore   Slovakia   Slovenia   Solomon Islands   South Korea   South Sudan   Spain   Sweden    Switzerland   Timor-Leste   Tonga   Tuvalu   Ukraine   United Kingdom   United States   Uruguay	Afghanistan   Algeria   Bahrain   Bangladesh   Belarus   Belize   Benin   Bolivia   Brunei   Burundi   Chad   China   Comoros   Congo   Cuba   Djibouti   Dominica   Egypt   El Salvador   Eritrea   Gambia   Guyana   Indonesia   Iran   Iraq   Jordan   Kuwait   Kyrgyzstan   Lebanon   Libya   Malaysia   Maldives   Mali   Mauritania   Morocco   Namibia   Nicaragua   Nigeria   North Korea   Oman   Pakistan   Qatar   Russia   Saint Lucia   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   Saudi Arabia   Senegal   Somalia   South Africa   Sri Lanka   Sudan   Syria   Tajikistan   Tanzania   Trinidad and Tobago   Tunisia   Turkey   Uganda   United Arab Emirates   Yemen   Zimbabwe	Angola   Antigua and Barbuda   Bahamas   Bhutan   Botswana   Brazil   Côte d'Ivoire   Dominican Republic   Guinea   Guinea-Bissau   Jamaica   Laos   Lesotho   Mongolia   Mozambique   Panama   Suriname   Thailand   Togo   Vanuatu	Azerbaijan   Burkina Faso   Cameroon   Central African Republic   Democratic Republic of the Congo   Equatorial Guinea   Swaziland   Gabon   Grenada   Haiti   Kazakhstan   Kiribati   Madagascar   Mauritius   Niger   Saint Kitts and Nevis   São Tomé and Príncipe   Sierra Leone   Turkmenistan   Uzbekistan   Venezuela [a]   Viet Nam   Zambia
Observer States:   Holy See and   State of Palestine

[B] Voting on 84 favour, 62 against, 25 abstained and 22 absent

In favour (84)	Against (62)	Abstained (25)	Absent (22)
Albania   Andorra   Argentina   Armenia   Australia   Austria   Barbados   Belgium   Bosnia and Herzegovina   Bulgaria   Cabo Verde   Canada   Chile   Costa Rica   Croatia   Cyprus   Czechia   Denmark   Ecuador   Estonia   Fiji   Finland   France   Georgia   Germany   Ghana   Greece   Guatemala   Honduras   Hungary   Iceland   India   Ireland   Israel   Italy   Japan   Kenya   Latvia   Liberia   Liechtenstein   Lithuania   Luxembourg   Malawi   Malta   Marshall Islands   Micronesia   Monaco   Montenegro   Myanmar   Nauru     Nepal   Netherlands   New Zealand   North Macedonia   Norway   Palau   Papua New Guinea   Paraguay   Peru   Philippines   Poland   Portugal   Republic of Moldova   Romania   Samoa   San Marino   Serbia   Seychelles   Singapore   Slovakia   Slovenia   Solomon Islands   South Korea   South Sudan   Spain   Sweden    Switzerland   Timor-Leste   Tonga   Tuvalu   Ukraine   United Kingdom   United States   Uruguay	Afghanistan   Algeria   Bahrain   Bangladesh   Belarus   Belize   Benin   Bolivia   Brunei   Burundi   Central African Republic   Chad   China   Comoros   Congo   Cuba   Djibouti   Dominica   Egypt   El Salvador   Eritrea   Gambia   Guyana   Indonesia   Iran   Iraq   Jordan   Kuwait   Kyrgyzstan   Lebanon   Libya   Malaysia   Maldives   Mali   Mauritania   Morocco   Namibia   Nicaragua   Nigeria   North Korea   Oman   Pakistan   Qatar   Russia   Saint Lucia   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   Saudi Arabia   Senegal   Somalia   South Africa   Sri Lanka   Sudan   Syria   Tajikistan   Tanzania   Trinidad and Tobago   Tunisia   Turkey   Uganda   United Arab Emirates   Yemen   Zimbabwe	Angola   Antigua and Barbuda   Bahamas   Bhutan   Botswana   Brazil   Cambodia   Colombia   Côte d'Ivoire   Dominican Republic   Ethiopia   Grenada   Guinea   Guinea-Bissau   Jamaica   Laos   Lesotho   Mexico   Mongolia   Mozambique   Panama   Suriname   Thailand   Togo   Vanuatu	Azerbaijan   Burkina Faso   Cameroon   Democratic Republic of the Congo   Equatorial Guinea   Swaziland   Gabon   Haiti   Kazakhstan   Kiribati   Madagascar   Mauritius   Niger   Rwanda   Saint Kitts and Nevis   São Tomé and Príncipe   Sierra Leone   Turkmenistan   Uzbekistan   Venezuela [a]   Viet Nam   Zambia
Observer States:   Holy See and   State of Palestine

Response

On December 13, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that Australia supported the resolution out of concern for civilians in Gaza Strip, adding that "Australia has consistently affirmed Israel's right to defend itself...in doing so, we have said as Israel must respect international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals." Reuters described this as it as "a rare split with...the United States" and noted that Canada, Australia and New Zealand released a joint statement on December 12 supporting the ceasefire. ^{[7] [8]} Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, described the vote as "historic" and said the resolution demands an end to the conflict, and said "we will not rest until we see compliance of Israel with this demand." The Israeli Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan argued that the resolution was "disgraceful" attempt to restrain Israel, and claimed that "continuing Israel's operation in Gaza is the only way any hostages will be released." ^{[9] [10]} He also claimed that supporting the resolution gave terrorists "a free pass," declared that "a ceasefire will prolong the death and destruction in the region" and said the resolution was "hypocritical". ^{[11] [10]}

Mathu Joyini, South Africa's UN representative, invoked South Africa's painful experience with apartheid and said that countries need to take action "in accordance with international law" and called the resolution "an opportunity...to illustrate that the [UN]...is not tone-deaf to the suffering of the most vulnerable." Munir Akram, the Pakistani permanent representative to the U.N., denounced the amendments proposed by the US and Austria as "condemn[ing] only one side but exonerate the other" and arguing that blame "has to be placed on both parties, especially on Israel," and noted that if Hamas was named, but not Israel, it "provide[s] a justification to the Israeli war machine to continue its roulette wheel of death." ^{[11] [9]} Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, stated that the US saw the humanitarian situation in Gaza as "dire" and that "civilians must be protected with international humanitarian law," she urged nations to support an amendment condemning Hamas, and said that a "ceasefire...would be temporary at best, and dangerous at worst...to Israelis...and...Palestinians." Izzat Al-Rishq, member of the Hamas Political Bureau welcomed the resolution and condemned what he described as a "war of genocide and ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians. ^[9]

Abdulaziz Alwasil, the Saudi ambassador to the UN, supported the resolution, saying Saudi Arabia was voting in favor to end "the suffering caused by an inhumane military attack by the Israeli occupation forces," called for an immediate ceasefire to end the conflict, and the need for "a comprehensive and just solution for the Palestinian question" aligned with the Arab Peace Initiative, the two-state solution, and establishment of "a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital." ^[11] The Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun stated that the events in Gaza "is a tragedy, and we must do more." ^[8] In a press release on December 12, Council on American–Islamic Relations National Executive Director Nihad Awad expressed support for the resolution and called on the US government to "change course" and for countries across the world to "pressure the Israeli government to end its campaign of terror in Gaza." ^[12] In a statement to reporters supporting Canada's vote in favor of the resolution, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said "from the very beginning we have said that Israel has the right to defend itself. How Israel defends itself matters...What is unfolding before our eyes will only enhance the cycle of violence. This will not lead to the durable defeat of Hamas." The Canadian Ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae told CBC that the "status quo" of the fighting is not sustainable "from a humanitarian perspective" while Liberal Party parliament members Anthony Housefather and Marco Mendicino disagreed with Canada's UN vote. ^[13]

See also

• United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/21
• United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/23
• United Nations Security Council Resolution 2712

Notes

1. Venezuela was suspended from voting in the 76th session and the 11th emergency special session owing to its failure to pay dues in the previous two years, for which it did not receive a special waiver from the Assembly. ^[6]

References

1. "General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling for Immediate, Sustained Humanitarian Truce Leading to Cessation of Hostilities between Israel, Hamas". UN Press. United Nations. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
2. Nichols, Michelle (8 December 2023). "US blocks UN Security Council demand for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza". Reuters . Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
3. "UN General Assembly votes by large majority for immediate humanitarian ceasefire during emergency session". UN News. United Nations. December 12, 2023. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
4. Masih, Niha (13 December 2023). "U.N. resolution on Gaza cease-fire: Which countries voted for and against it". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
5. Algeria; Bahrain; Comoros; Djibouti; Egypt; Iraq; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Libya; Mauritania; Morocco; Oman; Qatar; Arabia, Saudi (2023-12-10). "Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations :: draft resolution /: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and State of Palestine". United Nations Digital Library.
6. Guterres, António (27 February 2022). "Letter dated 27 February 2022 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the General Assembly". Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
7. Pal, Alasdair (December 13, 2023). "Australia backs UN resolution for Gaza ceasefire in rare split with US" . Reuters . Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
8. "UN adopts resolution for immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza". Palestinian Information Center. December 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
9. Hu, Caitlin (December 12, 2023). "UN General Assembly votes to demand immediate ceasefire in Gaza". CNN . Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
10. "UN General Assembly overwhelmingly demands Gaza ceasefire". The New Arab . December 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
11. Kossaify, Ephrem (December 13, 2023). "Overwhelming majority of 153 UN member states call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza". Arab News. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
12. "CAIR Supports UN General Assembly Resolution Demanding Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza". Black Star News . December 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
13. Woods, Michael; Major, Darren (December 13, 2023). "Canada supports UN resolution calling for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war". CBC News . Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.