The United Nations general assembly will vote later today on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza after the US vetoed a similar effort in the security council last week, Reuters reports. The 193-member general assembly is likely to adopt the text with overwhelming support, diplomats say, despite Israel lobbying countries this week against taking part in what it called a “politically motivated, counter-productive charade”. General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry weight as a reflection of the global view on the war. Previous demands by the body for an end to the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas have been ignored. Unlike the UN security council, no country has a veto in the General Assembly. Thursday’s vote also comes ahead of a UN conference next week that aims to reinvigorate an international push for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The US has urged countries not to attend. The US is drawing down the presence of staffers who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East and their loved ones due to the potential for regional unrest. The state department said yesterday that it’s ordered the departure of all nonessential personnel from the US embassy in Baghdad. The department also is authorising the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait, giving them the option to leave those countries. In addition, US Central Command said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth “has authorised the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations” across the Middle East. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government survived an opposition bid to dissolve parliament this morning, as lawmakers rejected a bill that could have paved the way for snap elections. Out of the Knesset’s 120 members, 61 voted against the proposal, with 53 in favour. The opposition had introduced the bill hoping to force elections with the help of ultra-Orthodox parties in the governing coalition angry at Netanyahu over the contentious issue of exemptions from military service for their community. Hospitals said 21 people in Gaza were killed on their way to collect aid from food distribution sites on Wednesday. The Israeli army said it fired warning shots in central Gaza toward “suspects that posed a threat to troops. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of attacking aid workers en route to a distribution centre on Wednesday, saying at least five people were killed. “We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,” GHF said in a statement. Israel’s government is issuing “clearly illegal” orders that must not be obeyed, a group of Israeli military intelligence officers have said, announcing they will no longer participate in combat operations in Gaza. In a letter addressed to Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister, Israel Katz, and the head of the military, the group of 41 officers and reservists said the government was waging an “unnecessary, eternal war” in Gaza.
Author: Hayden Vernon