Map of the Month
At the 77th world health assembly and upon Israel‘s request the decision A77/B/CONF./1 on “Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan” should be supplemented by one point: the unconditional, immediate release of the hostages from October 7, 2023 and condemnation of the use of health facilities by armed groups.
The amendment was adopted by the World Health Assembly with 50 votes in favor, 44 member states voted against, 31 abstained and 52 were absent at the time of the vote. 17 countries were not entitled to vote (Art. 7 WHO-Constitution).
Egypt then announced its intention to withdraw the original draft decision. However, as this withdrawal requires the consent of the proposer of the amendment (Israel), the Member States withdrew for consultations. The final decision was postponed.
Two days after the Israel's amendment was adopted, initiators of the decision on “Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan” introduced three further amendments A77/B/CONF./4 condemning attacks on medical and humanitarian facilities and taking up the interim measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.
All three amendments were adopted: The first amendment (para. 27) was adopted by the World Health Assembly with 74 votes in favor and 19 against, the second (para. 28) with 114 votes in favor and 7 against, and the third (para. 29) with 106 votes in favor and 8 against.
The amended decision on health conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan, was then adopted with 102 votes in favor, 6 against, 28 abstentions and 41 absent at the time of the vote.
Strikingly, four of the decision‘s co-sponsors - Algeria, Iran, Syria and Turkey - abstained in protest against the surprisingly adopted Israeli amendment.
Only Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the United Kingdom and the USA voted with Israel against the decision.
Unlike usual in this question in WHO, Germany abstained from this vote.
