14/06/2025

SATURDAY | JUNE 14, 2025

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UN General Assembly calls for Gaza ceasefire o Resolution adopted by vote of 149-12

Appeals Court allows Trump to keep National Guard in L.A. LOS ANGELES: A US appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to maintain his deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles amid protests over stepped-up immigration enforcement, temporarily pausing a lower court ruling that blocked the mobilisation. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision does not mean that the court will ultimately agree with Trump, but it does leave command of the Guard with the president for now. Earlier on Thursday, San Francisco-based District Judge Charles Breyer found that Trump’s deployment of the Guard was unlawful. Breyer’s 36-page ruling had ordered the National Guard to return to the control of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had brought the case. It was a short-lived victory for Newsom, as Breyer’s order was paused about two and a half hours later. Asked for comment, Newsom’s press office referred to the governor’s statement after the initial ruling, and noted that the appeals court put a temporary pause on the ruling but did not reverse it. “I’m confident, on the basis of the review of the 36 pages – absolutely it will stand,” Newsom said of the district judge’s order. The three-judge appeals court panel consisted of two judges appointed by Trump in his first term and one judge who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden. The panel said it would hold a hearing on Tuesday to consider the merits of Breyer’s order. The court’s action, called an administrative stay, gives the appeals judges additional time to consider the Trump administration’s request to block Breyer’s order while litigation in the case continues. Trump summoned the National Guard on Saturday in response to protests that had broken out over immigration raids, then on Monday ordered the Marines to support the Guard. A battalion of 700 Marines is expected to arrive today, marking an extraordinary use of military forces to support civilian police operations within the United States. The troops have stood guard at a federal detention centre in downtown Los Angeles where many of the protests have taken place in a show of solidarity for immigrants detained inside. – Reuters

NEW YORK: The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urging nations to take “all measures necessary” to place pressure on Israel. Following the United States’ veto of a similar push in the Security Council last week, the General Assembly adopted the non-binding resolution by a vote of 149-12, with 19 abstentions. The text demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza, as well as “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” seized on Oct 7, 2023. However it goes further than the US-vetoed text, taking direct aim at Israel over its impeding aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip. It “demands that Israel, the occupying power, immediately end the blockade and ensure that aid reaches the civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip,” which after more than 20 months of war is facing a catastrophic humanitarian situation. It also calls on all UN members to “individually and collectively take all measures necessary, in line with international law to ensure compliance by Israel with its obligations.” Israel’s envoy Danny Danon slammed the resolution in remarks to the press ahead of the vote, saying it is “a farce, is a moral failure, is a political stunt”. Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour called on all nations to turn their votes “into resolute action”. “No arms, no money, no trade to oppress Palestinians,” he urged. Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where the entire population is at risk of famine, according to the UN. The resolution adopted on Thursday “strongly (condemns) any use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access”. Israel recently ended a total blockade to

Mansour urged all nations to turn votes into resolute action. – REUTERSPIC

Assembly’s “unwavering commitment to the two-state solution ... where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and security”. It was a UN General Assembly resolution in 1947 that divided British-ruled Palestine into two states – one Arab and one Jewish. But only the creation of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. This triggered a war between Israel and its Arab neighbours. Over the decades, the UN body has expressed its strong support for the Palestinians in the face of the continuing Israeli occupation. Israel has relied on strong support from its veto-holding US ally, which has only deepened under President Donald Trump. The resolution “does nothing to free the hostages, improve the lives of civilians in Gaza or bring us closer to a ceasefire”, US acting ambassador Dorothy Shea told the Assembly. Instead, she charged it was “yet another performative action that erodes the credibility of this body”. – AFP

allow some deliveries to resume through the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution centres. The United Nations, which until now has sought to coordinate aid deliveries throughout Gaza, refuses to work with the GHF, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. It said Israeli forces killed another 21 people waiting for aid on Thursday. GHF blamed Hamas for the deaths of at least eight of its staff in Gaza on Wednesday. In the absence of Security Council action, Mansour had called last week for all countries to take “immediate and real measures” to force Israel “to stop the mad march it is embarked on”. With the vote taking place just days before an international conference at the UN on the Palestinian issue, the text also reiterates the