Israel’s Isolation Intensifies as U.N. and Biden Demand Gaza Ceasefire
Israel’s war against Hamas has isolated it from the international community, as the U.N. urged an immediate end to the bloodshed in Gaza and U.S. President Joe Biden warned the longtime ally that its indiscriminate bombing of civilians was eroding global support.
The U.N. General Assembly, alarmed by the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, passed a resolution on Tuesday with an overwhelming majority of 153 votes, calling for a ceasefire and an end to the violence. Only 10 countries, including the U.S. and Israel, voted against the resolution, while 23 abstained.
The cost of crushing Hamas cannot be the constant agony of all Palestinian civilians,” said the leaders of Canada, Australia and New Zealand in a joint statement, echoing the U.N.’s appeal for a ceasefire.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed the resolution and called on countries to pressure Israel to abide by it. A Hamas official in exile, Izzat El-Reshiq, in a statement on Telegram, reiterated that demand, saying Israel should halt its aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing against our people.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan dismissed the resolution as a farce that would only ensure the survival of Hamas, ensure the survival of genocidal terrorists committed to the annihilation of Israel and Jews.
Biden, who has faced criticism for his muted response to the crisis, said before the U.N. vote that Israel still had support from most of the world including the U.S. and the European Union for its fight against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. But he also signaled a growing rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he needed to change his hardline government and that Israel can’t say no to an independent Palestinian state – something that Israeli hardliners oppose.
Biden said he was sending his national security adviser Jake Sullivan to Israel this week and his defense secretary Lloyd Austin to the Middle East next week. He said Sullivan would emphasize the U.S. commitment to Israel as well as the need to protect civilian lives in Gaza.
Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza, aimed at rooting out Hamas, has killed at least 18,205 Palestinians, many of them children, and wounded nearly 50,000 since Oct. 7, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The conflict has also triggered a humanitarian catastrophe, displacing 85% of the population from their homes, causing widespread hunger and spreading diseases, according to the U.N. and Gaza health ministry.
Israel unleashed its onslaught after a cross-border raid by Hamas fighters who killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostage in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Israel on Tuesday declared 19 of 134 people still in captivity in Gaza dead in absentia after the bodies of two hostages were recovered.
The U.N. resolution is not legally binding but carries moral weight, reflecting a global consensus on the war. The U.S. vetoed a similar call in the 15-member Security Council last week but does not have a veto in the General Assembly.
The resolution passed by a larger margin than a similar U.N. measure in October, which got 121 votes in favor, 14 against and 44 abstentions. This indicates a weakening of support for Israel, as more countries condemn its actions.
Israel has intensified its attack on the south of Gaza since a temporary truce collapsed on Dec. 1. Israeli tank shelling on Tuesday targeted the center of Khan Younis, southern Gaza’s main city, residents said.
Israeli air strikes on Khan Younis after dark killed 11 Palestinians, including two children, health officials said.
