According to a report in the Egyptian daily Al Ahram today, the UNGA will meet in an emergency session on Dec. 12, at the call of Egypt and Mauritania to vote on a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Egypt and Mauritania called for the meeting in their capacities as chairs of the 22-member Arab Group and the 57-member Organization for Islamic Cooperation, respectively.
Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s Ambassador to the United Nations, told the Associated Press that the draft resolution is similar to the Security Council resolution the United States vetoed on Friday, Dec. 8. Mansour said 103 countries cosponsored the new resolution and he is hoping for more co-sponsors and a high vote for the General Assembly resolution when it is put to a vote. The purpose of going to the UNGA is clearly to jack up the pressure on the U.S. to drop its UNSC veto against a ceasefire resolution.
Al Ahram adds in its live update page of this morning that envoys from 12 UNSC members were set to visit Rafah today to see for themselves what conditions are like there. Al Ahram notes that the United Arab Emirates arranged the trip to Rafah as the 15-member council negotiates a U.A.E.-drafted resolution that demands Israel “allow the use of all land, sea and air routes to and throughout” Gaza for aid.
