‘This Is Not Diplomacy, It Is Surrender’: UN General Assembly Demands Unconditional Ceasefire in Gaza

Latest Developments

• Resolution Against Israel Passed: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) voted 149 to 12, with 19 abstentions, to pass a resolution demanding “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza on June 12. The resolution accused Israel of using “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and of engaging in “the unlawful denial of humanitarian access,” despite the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reporting that it had delivered nearly 19 million meals to Gazan civilians since the start of its operations on May 26 and Israel allowing hundreds of international aid trucks into Gaza since launching Operation Gideon’s Chariots in May. The non-binding resolution omitted any explicit condemnation of Hamas. “When you refuse to condemn Hamas, you commend them,” Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN Danny Danon told the assembled diplomats. “This is not diplomacy, it is surrender.”
• Resolution Drafter Recognized Palestinian State: Spain, which formally recognized Palestinian statehood along with Norway and Ireland in May 2024, drafted and brought the resolution for a vote after a similar resolution in the UN Security Council was vetoed by the United States on June 4. Spanish Ambassador HéctorJosé Gómez Hernández stated that Spain, along with non-observer UN member Palestine, jointly drafted the resolution. 
• Past Resolutions Against Israel: Since the Hamas atrocities of October 7, 2023, the United Nations has called for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire in both December 2023 and 2024. In 2024 alone, the UNGA passed 17 resolutions against the State of Israel, compared to only six targeting other nations. The U.S. Mission to the United Nations stated that Thursday’s adopted resolution “does nothing to free the hostages held by Hamas, improve the lives of civilians in Gaza, or bring us closer to a ceasefire, and is yet another performative action that erodes the credibility of this body.”

FDD Expert Response

“Hamas rejected the latest U.S. ceasefire resolution. So, naturally, Spain initiated a UN ceasefire resolution that places all the pressure on Israel. The resolution — part of a never-ending emergency session focused on Israel’s alleged crimes — is the latest manifestation of the UN’s infrastructure dedicated to demonizing Israel. The resolution places Israel, a law-abiding UN member, below Hamas, a terrorist group that uses Israel’s adherence to international law as a weapon, and rewards Hamas’s strategy of maximizing suffering on both sides to draw international sympathy. The United Nations isn’t a harmless place of empty words; it is an active part of Hamas’s public relations.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

“We have long been accustomed to the world’s autocracies and tyrannies pushing their anti-Zionist agenda at the UN General Assembly. To see Spain, a democracy and an EU member state, adopt the same tactic is truly shameful. Given that Spain is actively seeking to harm the United States’ leading ally in the Middle East, the White House should make clear to the Madrid government that its agitation against Israel will not be without consequences.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director 

“In this resolution, the UN General Assembly yet again wrongly ignores Hamas’s atrocities while unfairly condemning Israel’s lawful efforts to rescue its hostages, apprehend the October 7 perpetrators, and ensure that Israel’s population is secure from further attacks. Stunningly, only once does the resolution mention Hamas, whose October 7 massacre and refusal to release the hostages is responsible for the continuation of the war and for the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.” — Orde Kittrie, Senior Fellow 

FDD Background and Analysis

“Israel Accepts Witkoff-Proposed Gaza Truce While Hamas Hedges,” FDD Flash Brief

“Weathering International Criticism, GHF Continues Aid Distribution Operation in Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“The Department of Justice’s long-awaited reckoning for UNRWA has arrived,” by Jonathan Schanzer and Enia Krivine

“5 Wasteful and Harmful UN Organizations That Delegitimize Israel,” by David May and Jake Schlanger