Palestinians on Tuesday called on UN member states to support their “freedom” by voting the following day on a resolution demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories within “12 months”, provoking anger in Israel, which denounced it as a “charade”.
In July, responding to a request for an advisory opinion from the General Assembly on the Israeli occupation since 1967, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that “the continued presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful” and that Israel is “under an obligation [d’y] to end […] as soon as possible “.
In response to that advice, the Arab countries have requested this new special session of the General Assembly just days before dozens of heads of state and government arrive in New York for the annual high-level meeting of the General Assembly. The war in Gaza is expected to dominate the discussions.
“What is happening in Gaza today could be the final chapter in the tragedy of the Palestinian people or the first chapter in an even more tragic reality for our entire region,” said Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, calling on member states to “choose the right side of history.”
“I stand at this rostrum at this historic and tragic moment to tell the Palestinians that change will come, that their destiny is not one of endless agony and suffering, that their freedom is an inalienable right and their destiny,” he added, introducing for the first time a resolution on behalf of the observer State of Palestine, a right only recently won.
The draft resolution, which will be put to a vote on Wednesday at 11 a.m., “demands” that Israel “end without delay its illicit presence” in the Palestinian territories and that this be done “no later than 12 months after the adoption of this resolution.” The first draft text gave only six months.
“Partial”
The text also “demands” the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories, the cessation of new colonies, the restitution of seized land and property, and the possibility of the return of displaced Palestinians.
The latest version also calls on states to take steps to “end” the supply to Israel of weapons that could be used against Palestinians.
While the Security Council is largely paralyzed on this issue due to the repeated use by the United States of its veto to protect its Israeli ally, the General Assembly has several times since October adopted texts in support of the Palestinians.
In May, the assembly gave massive but symbolic support (143 votes for, nine against, 25 abstentions) to full Palestinian membership in the UN, blocked by the United States.
Although General Assembly resolutions are not binding, Israel has criticized the Palestinian move.
“This resolution is diplomatic terrorism, using the tools of diplomacy not to build bridges but to destroy them,” Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said from the podium.
“You can choose to stand on the side of justice, of peace […]. Or you can lend yourself to this circus, this masquerade, this political theater,” where “evil is legitimate, war is peace, murder is justified, terrorism is applauded,” he said.
The United States also denounced “the inflammatory language” of a text that does not mention the fact that “Hamas, a terrorist organization, has power in Gaza.”
“Adopting a biased resolution that selectively interprets the ICJ’s opinion does not advance what we all want: two states living in peace, side by side,” said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, of unprecedented scale and violence, resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.
The Israeli retaliation in Gaza has caused a humanitarian disaster and left at least 41,252 people dead, according to the Hamas government’s health ministry in Gaza.