Switzerland supports UN Gaza ceasefire resolution

Gaza has been at the centre of conflict since the 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas Keystone

Switzerland voted in favour of a successful United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the immediate release of the hostage.

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Switzerland and 157 other member states agreed with the draft in New York late on Thursday.  The resolution passed despite nine votes against – including the United States and Israel – and 13 abstentions.

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Resolutions of the UN General Assembly are not binding but have political symbolic power. Last year, the body already passed similar resolutions twice, but this time the language of the paper is clearer and the demands more vehement.

In addition, the General Assembly has now passed a resolution supporting the mandate of the recently controversial UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). A total 159 countries, including Switzerland, voted in favour, nine against and 11 abstained. Both resolutions thus received the necessary two-thirds majorities.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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