TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Russia can now “taunt” United States of Americawho was isolated in the UN General Assembly for using veto rights to reject a ceasefire in Gaza. They experienced something similar when they were isolated diplomatically because of the invasion of Ukraine.
More than three-quarters of the 193 members UN General Assembly on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, supporting the request for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the two-month-old conflict after the US vetoed it at the Security Council days earlier.
“With its veto, the American side essentially gave permission to kill and now bears full responsibility for every new victim of the conflict in Gaza,” Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the General Assembly after the vote.
“Sharing this blame with them is something that other members of the Security Council and the UN as a whole should not do,” he added.
A General Assembly resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was adopted on Tuesday with overwhelming support from 153 countries, while the United States, Israel and eight other countries voted no and 23 countries abstained.
“They love it,” said a senior European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, about Russia watching the US come under fire from the UN for its support of Israel.
Ahead of the vote, US President Joe Biden said that Israel was losing international support for its campaign to wipe out the Palestinian group Hamas because of its “indiscriminate bombing.”
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Israel has bombarded Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground offensive in retaliation for a Hamas attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostage. Gaza’s Health Ministry said 18,608 people were killed and 50,594 injured.
The General Assembly resolution is non-binding but has political weight, reflecting global views on the war in Gaza.
When asked whether Washington felt diplomatically isolated, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Wednesday said there was “a long history of sizable vote counts when it comes to resolutions involving the state of Israel in the General Assembly.”
“One of the things we continue to hear from our partners in the region, and from countries around the world, is the importance of American leadership on this issue,” Miller told reporters on Tuesday.
Russia was isolated by the General Assembly over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Russian diplomats see the war in the Middle East as a great opportunity to reset their position at the UN. They have made strenuous efforts to highlight US double standards in the war,” said Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group. “They know that Ukraine and its allies will not dare pass any resolution targeting Moscow… for some time.”
The world body adopted six resolutions on the conflict in its first year – condemning Moscow and demanding the withdrawal of all its troops. A resolution in October 2022 – condemning Russia’s “illegal annexation attempt” of four regions in Ukraine – received the biggest support with 143 countries voting yes.
But some diplomats are now signaling that the US’s credibility in rallying support at the UN on issues such as Ukraine may have been compromised as it protects Israel.
“The US and other Western countries have taken a clear position in support of human rights and the laws of war when it comes to Russian atrocities in Ukraine and Hamas atrocities in Israel,” said Louis Charbonneau of Human Rights Watch. “But international law applies equally to everyone.
REUTERS
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