Mexico’s chief representative at the United Nations has called for an immediate and lasting cessation of hostilities in all Palestinian territories, and the release of all the hostages currently in the hands of Hamas.
In an emergency session of the UN General Assembly, Mexican Chargé d’Affaires Alicia Buenrostro called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor in Gaza, and for Israel to lift the state of siege under which the Palestinian population finds itself.
Buenrostro said that given the seriousness and fragility of the situation on the ground, any “use of the veto by the UN Security Council to prevent action is unacceptable.”
On October 18, the United States used its veto to block a resolution calling for Israel to allow humanitarian corridors into Gaza. On October 25, Russia and China vetoed a U.S. resolution stating Israel has a right to defend itself and demanding that Iran stop exporting arms to militant groups.
Since 1945, 34 of the 36 UN Security Council draft resolutions related to Israel-Palestine have been vetoed by the United States.
Meanwhile, Bolivia became the first Latin American country to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over what it called “aggressive and disproportionate” military actions in Gaza. The left-wing governments of Chile and Colombia have recalled their ambassadors to Israel for consultations about the situation.
The Israeli government accused Bolivia of “surrendering to terrorism” after it suspended diplomatic relations with Jerusalem. A Hamas statement praised the “brave stance” taken by the Bolivian government, and thanked Chile and Colombia for withdrawing their ambassadors.
Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said Wednesday that more than 8,500 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, with more than 3,200 of them children. Both the Israeli and the U.S. governments have cast doubts on the figures.