The immediate priority in Gaza must be saving civilian lives said the President of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, as Member States gathered to debate the use of the veto by the United States in the Security Council last month.
Assembly Vice President Cheikh Niang of Senegal, holding the gavel in the General Assembly Hall and deputizing for President Dennis Francis, read out a statement on his behalf.
Mr. Francis said he welcomed the adoption of Security Council resolution 2720 late last month, which called for safe, unhindered and expanded humanitarian access and conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.
He urged all warring parties in Gaza to "fully implement" the Council resolution as well as the Assembly resolution of 12 December calling for a ceasefire, arising from the Assembly's reconvened Emergency Special Session.
On protecting civilians, Mr. Francis urged all Member States "to keep this shared goal to the forefront during today's debate."
Debate triggered by Assembly resolution
The General Assembly adopted a resolution designed to foster greater cooperation with the Security Council, in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, which automatically triggers a meeting following the use of any veto in the Council.
The veto is a special voting power held by the permanent member States on the Council, whereby if any one of the five - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US - casts a negative vote, the resolution or decision automatically fails.
The Assembly resolution which introduced this extra scrutiny calls for the Assembly President to convene a formal debate within 10 working days, so that the 193 members of the wider body can have their say.
The intention behind it is to give UN Member States the chance to make recommendations, which could include the use of armed force, to maintain or restore peace and security on the ground.
As with all Assembly resolutions they carry moral and political weight but are non-binding and do not generally carry the force of international law, unlike some measures agreed by the Security Council.
US committed to 'bringing all of the hostages home'
The US Deputy Permanent Representative, Robert Wood, said the US welcomed the adoption of December's Security Council resolution on 22 December.
Although the US abstained, he said the US had worked closely with other key States "in good faith" to forge a strong resolution. "This work supports the direct diplomacy the US is engaged in to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to help get hostages out of Gaza", he said.
Without naming Russia - whose amendment provoked the US veto in question - he said one Member State persisted in putting forward ideas which are "disconnected from the situation on the ground".
He said it was "also deeply troubling" that many States seemed to have stopped talking about the plight of hostages still being held in Gaza by Palestinian militants.
The US is committed to bringing them all home he said and remains "engaged in efforts to secure another pause" in the fighting. Also lacking, he added, are demands that Hamas lay down its arms and surrender.
"It would be good if there was a strong international voice pressing Hamas's leaders to do what is necessary to end the conflict that they set in motion on 7 October", he said.
