2024-09-18 23:16:25
A highly symbolic word, but whose effectiveness is often limited. The UN General Assembly on Wednesday asked for the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within “twelve months” and called for sanctions against Israel, a non-negotiable decision that angered Israel, calling it “cynical”.
This decision follows the advice of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which in July, looking into Israel’s occupation since 1967 at the request of the General Assembly, emphasized that “the continued presence of Israel in the occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal” and that Israel is “under an obligation (to) put an end to it (…) as quickly as possible”.
The text, adopted by 124 votes in favor, 14 against (with Israel, the United States, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Argentina) and 43 abstentions, “demands” that Israel “immediately end the illegal search” in the Palestinian territory and this is done “not later than 12 months after the adoption of this decision”. The first draft of the text alone took six months. A “historic” adoption, welcomes the Palestinian mission to the UN on X.
Non-binding
Even if the decisions of the General Assembly were not agreed, Israel on the other hand criticized the “shameful decision”. “The political theater that bears the name of the General Assembly today accepts an irresponsible decision that is disconnected from reality, encourages terrorism and harms the chances of peace (…), this is what cynicism looks like in international politics”, the spokesperson of Israel’s Foreign Ministry Oren Marmorstein said on X.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, on Tuesday, from the meeting, described a “circus” of Palestine where “evil is justified, war is peaceful, killing is justified, terrorism is praised”. The resolution also “demands” the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories, the reduction of new settlements, the restoration of occupied lands and properties, and the possibility of the return of Palestinians.
It also called on member states to take measures to stop the importation and supply of weapons to Israel if there are “family” sites that are believed to be used in the Palestinian territories. And also to impose sanctions against people who participate “in maintaining the illegality of Israel” in the occupied territories.
“Israel must listen immediately to the request of many UN member states to respect the historic decision” made by the ICJ, Louis Charbonneau, of the Human Rights Commission, supporting the armed conflict against Israel.
“Misconduct”
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 this resolution, the first presented in the name of the observer state of Palestine thanks to get soon right.
“How many Palestinians must be killed before change finally happens to stop this injustice? “, he said, a few days before the annual high-level meeting of the General Assembly where the war in Gaza should dominate the discussions of dozens of heads of state and the expected government.
While the Security Council has been largely silent on this issue due to the United States’ repeated use of its veto to protect its Israeli allies, the General Assembly has consistently provided support for the Palestinians. In June, the conference provided strong but symbolic support (143 votes for, nine against, 25 abstentions) for full Palestinian membership in the UN, blocked by the United States. The United States also voted against this resolution.
American representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Tuesday the “inflammatory language” of a speech that does not say “Hamas, a terrorist organization, power in Gaza”, “partial resolution” which does not advance the two-state solution.
The Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 against Israel, of unprecedented scale and violence, led to the death of 1,205 people on the Israeli side, the majority civilians, according to an AFP count based on figures Israeli officials and hostages have died or been killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s retaliation in Gaza has caused a humanitarian crisis and left more than 41,000 dead, according to data from the Hamas government’s Health Center in Gaza, deemed reliable by the UN.
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