On December 11, during the 10th Extraordinary Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, two resolutions were endorsed by an overwhelming majority. These resolutions support the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Respectively, 159 and 158 states, including Russia, cast their votes in favour. In contrast, only seven countries, alongside Israel and the United States, opposed the resolutions including Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga among them.

The initial UNRWA document reaffirmed comprehensive support for the Agency’s mandate to deliver vital assistance to six million Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Furthermore, the document denounces the adoption by the Israeli Knesset of two bills prohibiting the activities of this indispensable and key humanitarian organisation. It urges Israel to adhere to its international legal obligations as the occupying power and to respect the privileges and immunities of UNRWA, including ensuring the safety of its personnel. Notably, 254 Agency staff members have been killed since the onset of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

The second resolution of the UN General Assembly essentially reiterates the provisions of a draft Security Council resolution that was vetoed by the United States on November 20. It advocates for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire; the release of hostages and those forcibly detained; and full, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to all victims and those in need in the Gaza Strip. The resolution reaffirms the steadfast commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict, allowing for the establishment of the State of Palestine within internationally recognised borders without demographic or territorial changes.

The Russian delegation observes that, once again, since the onset of the unprecedented escalation of violence and bloodshed in the Arab-Israeli conflict zone, it is the UN General Assembly that is undertaking the necessary decisions to halt hostilities and provide humanitarian assistance – actions that are a moral imperative in the current dire circumstances. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council, the principal body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, remains hamstrung due to Washington’s exercise of its veto, which has been utilised six times since the beginning of the current crisis.