Israeli Foreign Minister: UN General Assembly Resolution was 'Hateful'

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen rejected the UN General Assembly resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, labeling it 'hateful.' He stated on the messaging platform X, 'We explicitly reject the UN General Assembly's hateful call for a ceasefire' and emphasized that 'Israel intends to destroy Hamas just as the world dealt with the Nazis and ISIS.' The UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution on Friday, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Israel and the Gaza Strip. The resolution was passed with 120 votes in favor, 14 against, and 45 abstentions. The resolution called on Israel to revoke its order for the evacuation of Palestinians from northern Gaza and to allow the entry of all necessities, including fuel, into the Gaza Strip. It also urged all parties involved to exercise restraint and avoid provocative and destructive actions. The resolution deemed a 'just and sustainable' solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be achievable only through peaceful means and condemned 'all violent acts against Palestinian and Israeli civilians, including all terrorist acts and indiscriminate attacks, as well as all provocative and destructive actions from any side.' However, the resolution did not specifically condemn Hamas for its October 7 attack on Israel, nor did it mention the name of this Iran-backed militant group or the killing of Israeli civilians in this attack. The resolution also did not affirm Israel's right to self-defense. Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the UN, stated in a speech after the resolution's approval, 'Today will be a day of infamy. We have all witnessed that the UN no longer has even a shred of legitimacy and importance.' He added, 'The majority of the international community has shown that it prefers to support the defense of Nazi terrorists rather than the lawful government of Israel, which acts to defend its civilians.' The US ambassador to the UN stated that Israel has the right to defend itself but must also protect Palestinian civilians. The Israeli army intends to eliminate Hamas and take control of Gaza from Hamas; reports by Arash Sigarchi reflect some people's views in Israel regarding the army's ground attack on the Gaza Strip. The draft resolution for the Israel-Hamas war was confirmed at the UN; reports by Gita Aryan indicate widespread communication disruptions in Gaza following increased bombings, coinciding with the expansion of the Israeli army's ground operations.