Palau voted “abstain” on the United Nations Resolution titled, “Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations,” calling for “Immediate, Sustained Humanitarian Truce Leading to Cessation of Hostilities between Israel, Hamas. “The vote took place on October 27th at the UN General Assembly emergency special session on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.
At the UN Special Session, 120 voted in favor of the resolution, 14 voted against it, and 45 abstained. Palau, represented by Palau’s Ambassador Illana Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations, cast an abstention vote.
UN failed to adopt the proposed amendment to condemn the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, failing to garner a two-thirds majority with 88 of the members voting in favor of the amendment and 55 against, with 23 abstentions.
“We always advocate for peace and always want to seek peaceful resolutions. But we also know that sometimes, to achieve peace means also being able to defend ourselves,” Whipps said of the reasoning behind Palau’s abstention vote on the UN Resolution at the press conference on November 1st. He said the Palau’s vote in this case was “balanced.”
President Whipps had expressed support for Israel right after the October 7th attack against Israel by Hamas. In his letter to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on October 10th, Whipps said he condemned the attack as an “act of terror” and “Our Republic and our people stand in solidarity with Israel.”