In A Historic Moment, The UN Passed A Resolution Demanding Israel End Its Illegal Occupation Of Palestine
The resolution calls on Israel to "bring to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" in no later than 12 months.
In a historic moment, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution demanding that Israel end its occupation of Palestine within one year.
The current resolution is based on the opinion of the ICJ issued in July, which found that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories violates international law and is illegal.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip since 1967, making it the world's longest military occupation in modern history.
It has also built settlements in the West Bank, which is illegal under international law.
On Wednesday, Sep. 18, 124 of the 181 member states voted in favor, 14 voted against, and 43 abstained, of the resolution brought forward by Palestine, which holds permanent observer status at the UN.
The resolution calls on Israel to “bring to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which constitutes a wrongful act of a continuing character entailing its international responsibility, and does so no later than 12 months.”.
It demands Israel take several specific actions regarding its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including:
- Withdrawing all military forces.
- Stopping all new settlement activities and evacuating Israeli settlers.
- Dismantling parts of the separation wall built in the occupied West Bank.
- And, returning land and property it has seized since 1967.
In addition, the resolution also urged UN member states to:
- Stop importing products from Israeli settlements.
- Halt arms sales to Israel if it is suspected that it might be used in the occupied territories.
- Impose sanctions, such as travel bans and asset freezes, on people and operations involved in maintaining the occupation.
It also called on member states to not recognize Israel’s occupation as lawful and to avoid assisting in any way that could maintain the occupation.
This is the first time since 1982 that the General Assembly has called for sanctions against Israel.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestine, welcomed the vote and said it “renews the hopes of our Palestinian people”.
The US opposed the resolution, calling it "one-sided" and saying that it does not contribute to advancing a peaceful two-state solution.
Israel’s current genocide in Gaza has killed more than 41,020 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 94,925 people, with many still missing under the rubble.
Kassy Cho
Cherry Mohamed
Isha Jain
