The UN General Assembly on Wednesday called for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory within “12 months” and called for sanctions against Israel, a non-binding resolution that angered Israel, calling it “cynical.”
The resolution, which has been debated since Tuesday by the 193 member states of the UN, follows the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which in July, examining the Israeli occupation since 1967 at the request of the General Assembly, had considered that “the continued presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful” and that Israel is “under the obligation [d’y] to end […] as soon as possible “.
The text, adopted by 124 votes in favour, 14 against (including Israel, the United States, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Argentina) and 43 abstentions, “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.
A “historic” adoption, hailed the Palestinian mission to the UN on X. A “victory”, according to Hamas, which hailed the “solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people”.
Although General Assembly resolutions are not binding, Israel has denounced the decision as “shameful.”
“The political theater that goes by the name of the General Assembly has today adopted a biased decision that is disconnected from reality, encourages terrorism and harms the chances of peace […]”This is what cynicism looks like in international politics,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, had himself described on Tuesday at the podium a Palestinian “circus” where “evil is legitimate, war is peace, murder is justified, terrorism is applauded”.
The resolution also “demands” the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories, the cessation of new settlements, the restitution of seized land and property, and the possibility of the return of displaced Palestinians.
Arms Embargo
It also calls on member states to take measures to end imports from settlements and the supply of arms to Israel if there are “reasonable” grounds to believe that they could be used in the Palestinian territories. And also to impose sanctions against those involved in “maintaining Israel’s illicit presence” in the occupied territories.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell welcomed the resolution as “of great importance” which reaffirms the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
“Israel must immediately heed the call of the overwhelming majority of UN member states to respect the historic decision” of the ICJ, reacted Louis Charbonneau, of Human Rights Watch, supporting an arms embargo on Israel.
Speaking at the Assembly on Tuesday, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour called on member states to “choose the right side of history” by supporting the resolution, the first to be presented on behalf of the newly won observer state of Palestine.
“How many more Palestinians must be killed before change finally occurs to stop this inhumanity?” he asked, days before the annual high-level meeting of the General Assembly where the war in Gaza is expected to dominate discussions among dozens of heads of state and government expected.
Security Council paralyzed
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 regularly gives its support to 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.
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, of unprecedented scale and violence, resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures and including hostages who died or were killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli reprisals in Gaza have caused a humanitarian disaster and left more than 41,000 dead, according to data from the Hamas government’s health ministry in Gaza, deemed reliable by the UN.