Switzerland backs UN resolution calling for ceasefire in Middle East

. Some 120 countries in the UN General Assembly voted in favour of the resolution on Friday including several Arab states, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. Keystone / Sarah Yenesel

Switzerland was one of 120 countries, which backed a resolution at the UN General Assembly calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East. The resolution was supported by several Arab states and rejected by Israel and the United States.

The resolution was put forward by Jordan after several attempts to vote on a similar resolution failed at the UN Security Council. Some 120 countries in the UN General Assembly voted in favour of the resolution on Friday including several Arab states, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. Some 14 voted against including Austria, Hungary, the United States and Israel. Some 45 abstained including several European countries such as Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

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The resolution condemns all violence against the Israeli and Palestinian civilian population, calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all “illegally detained” civilians and demands unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. The resolution didn’t identify the Palestinian militant group Hamas as the reason for the escalation in violence.

A request from Canada to add an article condemning Hamas’ terrorist attacks and calling for the immediate release of the hostages to the resolution failed to reach the required two-thirds majority.

In a statementExternal link explaining the reason for the vote, Switzerland said that it condemned the attacks by Hamas in the strongest terms from the very first hours. While it supported the resolution because it responds to the most pressing need of allowing humanitarian aid to populations in need, “the condemnation of the terrorist attacks by Hamas is important. This is why we also supported the amendment proposed by Canada,” wrote the note. “We regret that the unjustifiable and shocking acts of terror by Hamas, as well as a call for the unconditional and immediate release of the hostages, were not taken into account in the final text.”

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