UN ceasefire vote shows 32 countries changed position in the last month

Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has said that Israel would continue its military operations in Gaza “with or without international support”, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “nothing will stop us” even “in the face of international pressures”.

This comes after Tuesday’s UN General Assembly vote, which showed that 32 countries have changed their position in the last month from the previous vote, including Canada, India, Japan and Denmark, to name just a few.

Overall, more than 153 countries demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza – that’s more than the 141 countries that voted to deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It speaks to their alarm about the way Israel is conducting its military operation and its compliance with the rules of war. President Joe Biden knows this – telling campaign donors just hours before the vote that Israel was starting to lose support because of its “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza.

The resolution may not be binding but the global consensus will perhaps give US officials a further reason to be tough on Israel in private, including when Jake Sullivan travels to Israel this week.

BBC NEWS