The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted to pass a new resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, with a vote of 158 in favor, nine against, and 13 abstentions. While the resolution calls for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” it does not make a ceasefire contingent on the release of the hostages, nor does it require Hamas to disarm. It also fails to issue a simple condemnation of Hamas for its October 7 terrorist attacks, and ongoing threats Israel.
An additional resolution was overwhelming passed concerning Israeli legislation banning UNRWA operations in the West Bank and Gaza. Once again, the UN is turning a blind eye to UNRWA's lack of neutrality and its exploitation by terrorist groups.
Earlier This Week: Holocaust Left Out of UN’s Genocide Commemoration
The United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention on Monday hosted an event commemorating the International Day for the Prevention of Genocide. The program avoided any mention of the Holocaust and omitted references to Israel or Jews, while emphasizing the anniversaries of the Rwanda and Srebrenica genocides. Notably, during the commemoration, Rafael Lemkin, who drafted the Genocide Convention, was described only as a Polish lawyer—disregarding his Jewish background and the fact that he was also a Holocaust survivor. Additionally, at no point in the event was the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz mentioned, while the anniversaries of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and Bosnia’s 1995 Srebrenica massacre were highlighted.
The commemoration comes just two-weeks after the UN Secretary General failed to renew the mandate of former Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide Alice Nderitu. At the time, WJC critiqued the move, with President Ronald S. Lauder declaring that the decision was, “deeply troubling and reflects the moral decay within the United Nations system.”
What Else You Need to Know from Around the World:
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Plenary Meets in London:
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) met in London last week, 1-6 December 2024, for the second plenary under the UK Chairmanship. It was a busy agenda that included a day-long discussion on AI and the future of Holocaust memory, a conference on the Genocide and Persecution of the Roma during the Second World War, and deliberation on many of the challenges facing the international community today.
What Was Discussed:
Through plenary, working group, and committee sessions, IHRA delegates from 35 member-states and a number of other observers discussed how to better support the next generation of Holocaust scholars, the situation on university campuses, harassment of researchers, the role of Holocaust museums and memorial sites today, and improving access to Holocaust archives.
Dr. Leon Saltiel, WJC’s Representative to the UN in Geneva and UNESCO, who participated in the proceedings as part of the delegation of Greece, was named as chair of IHRA’s Academic Working Group for 2025-2026. Discussions were also held to exchange country experiences and good practice around the use and implementation of IHRA’s working definition on antisemitism. In this context, the Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism was presented, as well as the U.S. authored Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism that has been endorsed by dozens of countries and multilateral organizations.
Israel will assume the role of chair in 2025 and will hold the next IHRA Plenary in Jerusalem in June. Argentina was confirmed as chair for 2026-2027.
