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The United Nations approves a cease-fire resolution despite U.S. opposition
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The U.S. was one of just 10 other nations to oppose a United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding a cease-fire for the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
The U.N. General Assembly approved the resolution 153 to 10 with 23 abstentions. This latest resolution is non-binding, but it carries significant political weight and reflects evolving views on the war around the world.
The United States' position on this pledge comes after American representatives blocked an earlier resolution at the U.N. Security Council.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. acknowledges that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, but that it was Hamas that broke an earlier deal that allowed for a pause in fighting.
"Look, there is no shortage of rhetoric here in New York, but it's the diplomacy the United States is engaging in on the ground that made that week-long pause possible," she said.
During that weeklong pause in fighting, more than 100 hostages were released by Hamas.
Thomas-Greenfield tried, and failed, to get the General Assembly to alter the resolution to denounce Hamas and their actions on Oct. 7. That attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and resulted in around 240 people being kidnapped.
In response to that attack, Israel launched a military campaign that has killed nearly 18,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory's health officials.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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