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.
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. ...