UN General Assembly demands Israel end ‘illegal presence’ in Occupied Palestinian Territory
With 124 countries voting in favor, 14 against and 43 abstaining, the resolution calls on Israel to comply with international law and withdraw its troops, immediately stop all new settlement activities, evacuate all settlers from the occupied land and dismantle part of the separation wall it built inside the occupied West Bank.
The General Assembly also demanded that Israel return land and other “immovable property”, as well as all property confiscated since the start of the occupation in 1967, and all cultural property and assets taken from Palestinians and Palestinian organizations.
The resolution also demands that Israel allow all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their places of origin and compensate them for damages caused by the occupation.
The resolution originated from advisory opinion issued by International Court of Justice (International Court of Justice) in July, in which the Court declared that Israel’s continued presence in the Territory was “illegal” and that “all states have a duty not to recognize” the decades-long occupation.
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Threats to peace and security
The General Assembly “strongly condemns the Government of Israel’s continued and gross disregard and violations” of its obligations under the United Nations Charterinternational law and United Nations resolutions, stressing that such violations “seriously threaten” regional and international peace and security.
The Court also recognized that Israel “is responsible for all violations” of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including international humanitarian and human rights law.
The document states that Israel “must bear the legal consequences of any wrongful acts in the international arena, including compensation for damages, including any damage caused by such acts.”
The General Assembly stressed the need to establish an international mechanism to compensate for damage, loss or injury caused by Israel’s actions.
The bill also calls for the establishment of an international register of damage caused to record evidence and related complaints.
International Conference
The resolution also includes a decision to convene an international conference during the current session of the General Assembly to implement United Nations resolutions relating to the question of Palestine and the two-state solution with a view to achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
In addition, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General of the United Nations to make proposals for a mechanism to monitor violations of article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by Israel, as determined by the ICJ.
Article 3 deals with racial discrimination and apartheid and the commitment of States Parties to the International Covenant to prevent, prohibit and eradicate all acts of this nature in territories under their jurisdiction.
The General Assembly voted to adopt a draft resolution on the ICJ advisory opinion.
Call on the states
In its resolution, the General Assembly called on all UN member states to comply with their obligations under international law and to take concrete steps to address Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The General Assembly calls on States to refrain from recognizing the Israeli presence in the Territory as legitimate and to ensure that they do not provide aid or support to perpetuate the situation created by the occupation. This includes taking measures to prevent their nationals, companies and entities under their jurisdiction from engaging in activities that support or perpetuate the Israeli occupation.
In addition, the General Assembly called on States to stop importing products originating from Israeli settlements and to stop transferring arms, ammunition and related equipment to Israel where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that these may be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Furthermore, the resolution calls on States to implement sanctions, such as travel bans and asset freezes, against individuals and entities involved in maintaining Israel’s illegal presence in the Territories. This includes addressing issues related to settler violence and ensuring that those involved in such activities face legal and financial consequences.
Postpone the meeting
Finally, the Congress adjourned the tenth emergency special session and allowed President of the General Assembly reconvene the meeting at the request of member states.
The special session is a continuation of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly. last met in May amid the ongoing crisis in Gazain which it has passed a resolutionsets out additional rights for the participation of the State of Palestine in Council meetings.
That resolution did not grant Palestine the right to vote or to put forward its candidature to the Principal Organs of the United Nations as Security Council or Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The convention also does not grant membership to the State of Palestine, which would require a specific recommendation from the Security Council.
