UN General Assembly calls for a ceasefire for Gaza

The United Nations General Assembly holds an emergency session on Tuesday on the Palestinian issue in search of a position in the face of the crisis in Gaza.

The meeting, announced over the weekend, tries to reverse the failure of the Security Council amid the increasingly aggravated context in the enclave after the United States vetoed a draft resolution for a ceasefire.

The text stalled despite an appeal by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter to call for an end to hostilities.

For the first time since he took office, the UN chief used that resource that allows him to draw the Council’s attention to any matter that, in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.

The draft drawn up by the Arab Group was approved by 13 of 15 UN members and co-sponsored by at least 97 countries represented at the UN, including Cuba, but the contrary vote of the US representation made it fail.

On Sunday, the UN chief lamented the lack of consensus in the security body to adopt the ceasefire resolution.