The Arab Republic of Egypt and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, representing the Chairs of the Arab Group and OIC Group at the UN, urgently request the resumption of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly as Israel continues bombardment in Gaza killing more than 17,000 Palestinians so far.
Prompted by the veto on 8 December 2023 by a Permanent Security Council member, the vetoed draft resolution addressed the critical situation of the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip, calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
The request follows decisions made at the Islamic-Arab Summit and the UN Secretary-General’s invocation of Article 99.
This diplomatic move underscores a commitment to resolving the humanitarian crisis through international cooperation and reaffirms the principles of the UN Charter.
In the absence of a ceasefire and in light of the ongoing grave breaches of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, and violations of the relevant United Nations resolutions, including resolution ES-10/21, the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the Gaza Strip, has continued to dramatically deteriorate.
“As Israel, the occupying power, persists in its military aggression and siege against the Palestinian civilian population, killing and wounding thousands more Palestinian children, women and men, causing more wanton destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, forcibly displacing more than 1.9 million people, undermining the access and ability of humanitarian agencies, including UNRWA, to deliver on their mandates, and impeding desperately-needed humanitarian assistance, it is endangering more civilian lives, risking further deterioration of this already-catastrophic situation, and threatening regional and international peace and security, making it urgent that the General Assembly convene to address this crisis, in accordance with resolution 377 (V) (1950), ‘Uniting for Peace’ as rapidly as possible,” the joint statement said on December 11.
