Dec. 13: After the failed resolution in the United Nations Security Council last week to call for a ceasefire which was vetoed by the US and abstained by the UK, the UN General Assembly has yet again passed a non-binding resolution seeking a ceasefire, with Canada joining in favour this time.
This comes at a time when the global solidarity for Palestine has reached a high, with a successful Global Strike for Palestine held on Monday across the world, and President Biden of the US stating that Israel is “starting to lose support by [the] indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza.
Some 8,000 people are missing or trapped under the rubble in Gaza, according to a civil defence official in Gaza, and the Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin has continued for more than 24 hours. While the US finds itself increasingly isolated in its unwavering support for the Israeli regime, its hold over institutions like the UN remains powerful and almost absolute.
According to Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, “Now is the time for Biden to pressure Netanyahu into changing course on Gaza, including implementing an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”
Biden is facing a steep domestic challenge in the presidential elections in 2024, with Arab, Muslim and socialist support for his campaign sharply dwindling due to his unabashedly pro-Israel position. Trudeau, facing similar pressure, was met with pro-ceasefire protestors in Ottowa’s Shaw Centre where he and his party were on a holiday season gathering.
The Palestinian National and Islamic Forces, a coalition of major Palestinian factions had issued a call for the strike to include “all aspects of public life” for those across the West Bank, and the world.
