December 13, 2023

*) Australia votes at UNGA for Gaza truce in rare split with US Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said the country had supported a UN resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza out of concern for civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave, in a rare split with close ally the United States. After dire warnings by UN officials over a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the 193-member UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire with 153 countries including Australia voting in favour and 23 abstaining. Ten countries voted against including the US and Israel and the rest five did not vote. Israel's current war on besieged Gaza — now in its 68th day — has left at least 18,412 Palestinians dead and wounded more than 50,100 others while thousands are feared dead under debris of bombed buildings. *) Israel cannot say no in the future to a Palestinian state: Biden US President Joe Biden has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to change his hardline government and that Israel cannot say no in the future to a Palestinian state, ramping up pressure on the Israelis. Biden’s remarks at a fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign came after the US sold 14,000 tank shells to Israel without Congress review and also scuttled a UNSC vote that would have called for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. Biden claimed that Israel had “most of the world supporting it,” despite global protests since October 7 and member states at the UN Security Council and UN General Assembly overwhelmingly demanding Israel end its brutal war in Gaza. *) Nearly a fifth of Gaza’s buildings destroyed or damaged: UN Nearly 40,000 buildings or about 18 percent of all pre-conflict structures have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza since the Israeli bombardment began, a UN assessment has shown. The latest estimate, based on a November 26 image, was produced by the United Nations Satellite Centre, where analysts examine very high resolution satellite images to find damaged buildings and publish maps that can guide relief work and rebuilding plans during natural disasters and conflicts. Estimates such as this based on high-resolution satellite images might still underestimate the scale of destruction since they do not show all building damage — for example, a collapsed building with an intact roof can look undamaged. *) Polls close in Egypt as Sisi cruises toward third win Polling has closed in Egypt after a three-day election widely expected to return sitting President Abdel Fattah el Sisi to power in the Arab world’s most populous country. Government newspaper Al Ahram reported that the National Elections Authority, which is responsible for organising the poll, recorded an “unprecedented” turnout. Polling stations closed their doors at 1900 GMT, and the results will be announced on Monday. *) COP28 proposed deal calls for ‘transitioning away’ from fossil fuels A new draft agreement unveiled in talks in Dubai has toughened language by calling for “transitioning away” from fossil fuels, although it does not use the term “phase-out.” The document recognised “the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions in line with 1.5C pathways” and called upon nations to take actions. Discussions during the 14 days of talks in Dubai had revolved around how far to go and whether to make a historic call to wind down oil, gas and coal — the main culprits in the planet’s rapid heating.