The General Assembly convened today following the recent veto in the Security Council to address the escalating crisis in Gaza and consider next steps for peace and accountability.
In April 2022, the Assembly adopted a resolution on "Standing mandate for a General Assembly debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council" (document A/RES/76/262 ), which has come to be described as the "veto initiative". Under this initiative, the Assembly has a standing mandate to convene within 10 working days of a veto being cast in the Council.
Assembly President Annalena Baerbock (Germany) told the 193-member organ that "a raised hand", "a simple 'no'" may appear routine when a permanent member of the Council casts a veto, but the impact is anything but ordinary. "A veto can extinguish hope for those trapped in conflict," she stressed.
The Charter of the United Nations gives the Council the primary responsibility for international peace and security. The veto is not a privilege - it is a solemn responsibility meant to be exercised rarely, with humanity in mind.
In Gaza today, civilians are dying while waiting for food and water, she said. "In the past days and weeks, men, women and children have been killed while sheltering or waiting for food", she stressed.
The General Assembly has stepped in with the veto initiative, ensuring accountability when the Council is paralysed. "Each time, this Assembly has been convened, ensuring that the veto is not exercised in silence but subjected to the scrutiny of the international community," she emphasized.
Text neglected to condemn Hamas
The representative of the United States said his delegation vetoed the resolution because it "failed to condemn Hamas and it failed to recognize Israel's right to defend itself, amongst other serious defects". His country cannot support a text that does not call on Hamas to disarm, does not call for an immediate release of hostages and "does not acknowledge the problems with aid diversion in the Gaza Strip".
Hamas continues to hold 48 hostages, he said, adding that "those who remain alive are captive in a living hell". "We have seen the chilling videos", he emphasized, adding that "Hamas is starving these hostages" and "forcing them to dig their own graves on camera".
Israel has repeatedly accepted terms that would end the war "including 48 hours ago" at the White House, he continued. He highlighted United States President Donald J. Trump's plan to end the Gaza conflict and secure the immediate release of all hostages, the complete disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and its economic redevelopment. This plan has been accepted by Israel and has broad support from several partners. Urging Hamas to accept the deal, he called on all Member States to support this plan.
We must seize this opportunity to end suffering, work for freedom, peace
The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine commended the Council members that voted in favour of the draft resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza - a text blocked by a veto. "In the last 10 days, a lot has happened at the political and diplomatic levels but also many more Palestinians were killed and maimed", he said, urging efforts to "ensure such ceasefire is achieved without any delay".
While Palestine is committed to fully implementing the New York Declaration, he said, it also welcomes the important efforts of President Trump to end the bloodshed and to save lives, including his clear rejection of annexation of Palestinian land and of forcible displacement of the Palestinian people - reflected in the plan announced by Washington, D.C.
"We hope that Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, which are currently discussing with Hamas, will succeed in their mediation efforts to bring an end to the bloodshed in Gaza," he said. It is for Palestinians to govern themselves, and the West Bank and the Gaza Strip must be reunified under the Palestinian Authority, he said, appealing: "We must all seize this opportunity to end the suffering and work for freedom and peace."
Returning the hostages 'can be done the easy way, or done the hard way'
"For the first time in many months, there is a clear path forward," said Israel's delegate, describing the plan tabled by President Trump as an opportunity for nations to finally choose action over theatrics. However, Hamas has not yet accepted the proposal, he noted, stressing: "[Returning the hostages] can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done." The proposed road map is based on reality, unlike the many empty declarations, long speeches and staged walkouts in the General Assembly Hall.
Weeks ago in the Council, he said, a draft resolution on the situation in Gaza once again failed to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel's right to defend itself. Praising the United States for casting its veto, he said that text was detached from reality. Meanwhile, the new road map reflects the situation on the ground and has been endorsed by many allies both in the Middle East and Europe.
Emphasizing that the 7 October attacks deeply scarred his country, he said Israel has nonetheless "chosen compromise for the sake of peace". He urged Member States to pressure Hamas to agree to the proposal. "Enough with the UN theatre, enough with the meaningless bureaucracy," he said.
Denmark's delegate, speaking on behalf of the 10 elected members of the Council, said the Council resolution they put forward had three urgent demands: an immediate ceasefire, release of all hostages and safe and unhindered distribution of aid. Fourteen members of the Council voted in favour of that text, with only one member voting against. "We're now all painfully aware that famine is present in Gaza," she said, also adding: "As elected members we believe that the Council should not remain silent in the face of such devastation."
Support for United States' proposed peace plan for Gaza
Other speakers also expressed regret over the United States' use of the veto including the representative of the United Kingdom who joined other speakers in demanding the return of hostages and condemning Hamas and its terrorist ideology. Israel's reckless military expansion must end, and Hamas should accept the terms of the peace plan newly proposed by the United States, he stressed. The representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer, welcomed President Trump's proposal to end the war in Gaza while France's delegate urged all sides to "seize" the plan "without delay to restore a horizon for peace".
Regional players expressed support to the United States' proposed peace initiative with Egypt's representative also stressing the need for urgent aid delivery, the release of hostages, preventing the displacement of Palestinian civilians and a just peace based on a two-State solution. Israel's "excess of power and arrogance" has led its Government to repeatedly brag about the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, he added. Jordan's delegate, pledging to work with the United States and regional partners to adopt the proposed plan, condemned Israel's use of starvation as a weapon of war, which has led to the death of thousands of people, including children. "The scale of human suffering in Gaza is unconscionable", added Türkiye's delegate, reminding the international community of its "collective responsibility to act".
Saudi Arabia's delegate said that Riyadh recently joined France, the Netherlands and others to launch the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and now joins many nations in supporting the United States' plan to end the conflict. He highlighted the importance of ensuring the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the non-annexation of the West Bank. Qatar's representative spotlighted her country's mediation efforts, which have led to the release of numerous Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees. She also welcomed President Trump's "genuine efforts to end the war in Gaza", voicing confidence in his ability to help chart a path towards peace.
Calls for urgent reform of Council's working methods
Iran's delegate said the repeated abuse of the veto by the United States is "in stark contrast to the overwhelming will of the international community". The Israeli occupying regime's acts amount to ethnic cleansing, he said, condemning the unlawful blockade and the use of starvation as a method of warfare. They represent genocide and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute, he added, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State.
Several speakers called for urgent reform of the Council's working methods, with Cuba's Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, denouncing the United States for "abusing the privilege of veto". He accused Washington, D.C., of blocking international efforts to stop "the massacre perpetrated by Israel in Gaza". South Africa's delegate also noted the Council's "failure", stressing that "one Member State's use of their veto power" has prevented the halt of the bombardment of innocent people. "Israel is waging war on the Palestinian people themselves," he added. The consequences of Council inaction have never been so grave, added Ireland's speaker. Since 7 October 2023, over 65,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 167,000 injured, he said.
Permanent members of the Council also weighed in. China's speaker stressed that were it not for the United States' repeated abuse of the veto, the Council's response to the Gaza crisis would not have been so inadequate. Were it not for its unreserved shielding of Israel, Council resolutions and international law would not have been so flagrantly violated, he asserted. The Russian Federation's delegate, noting that the United States used its veto for the seventh time, said: "It is difficult to understand how the international community is indulging Hamas by calling for the unconditional release of hostages" and when the New York Declaration clearly states that future control over Gaza should be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. The recent veto "was more of a gift to Israel", he added, emphasizing that any initiatives aimed at the immediate cessation of hostilities and bloodshed in Gaza deserve support.
