To the members present at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, Israel’s Ambassador Gilad Erdan had one message for those calling for a ceasefire in the country’s current war with Hamas.
"You want a real cease-fire?” Erdan asked as he held up a sign that listed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s office phone number.
“Call… and ask for Yahya Sinwar. Tell Hamas to put down their arms, turn themselves in, and return our hostages. This will bring a complete ceasefire that will last forever,” he added.
I like how Israel handles the UN. pic.twitter.com/xooiewNUbM
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) December 12, 2023
Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, presented the phone number of Hamas' leader Yahya Sinwar and said: If you want a ceasefire, call him.
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) December 12, 2023
That's hilarious! 😆 pic.twitter.com/28vp3xODsL
The UNGA voted overwhelmingly for a Gaza ceasefire, 153-10, with the U.S., Israel, Austria, the Czech Republic, Guatemala, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papa New Guinea, and Paraguay opposing and 23 countries abstaining.
Unlike a vote in the Security Council, where the U.S. vetoed a ceasefire resolution last week, a General Assembly vote is nonbinding.
Ahead of Tuesday's vote, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield explained the U.S.'s opposition to the resolution, wondering why it's so hard to condemn Hamas for its terrorist attack on Oct. 7.
"We support affirming that Israel like every single country on earth has the right and the responsibility to defend its people from acts of terrorism. Because we know that Hamas intends to repeat the horrors of October 7th again and again and again. A senior Hamas official said so himself on television," she said.
"Let’s be realistic here. This is a terrorist group that no Member State would tolerate living next to," Thomas-Greenfield added. "So long as Hamas remains driven by its murderous ideology, any ceasefire right now would be temporary at the best and dangerous at worst. Dangerous to Israelis, who would be subject to relentless attacks. And also, dangerous to Palestinians, who deserve the chance to build a better future for themselves, free from Hamas – a group that hides behind innocent civilians rather than protects them, and that co-opts civilian infrastructure to wage conflict."