In an emergency special session that resumed today, the General Assembly began its consideration of a draft resolution demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory within 12 months, as Member States voiced overwhelming support for the text.
By the terms of the text (document A/ES-10/L.31/Rev.1), put forth by the State of Palestine, the Assembly would demand that Israel end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory no later than 12 months from the adoption of the resolution and cease immediately all new settlement activity and evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Further, the Assembly would demand Israel return land seized since its occupation started in 1967 and allow Palestinians displaced to return to homes.
The text would also have the Assembly demand that Israel comply without delay with all its legal obligations under international law, including as stipulated by the International Court of Justice. It would call on States not to recognize as legal the unlawful presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel.
At the outset of the meeting, Philémon Yang (Cameroon), President of the General Assembly, said: “Without justice and the rule of law, Israelis and Palestinians alike will not attain what they long for most: peace and security.” The Assembly must “not lose sight of the many lives lost, the staggering humanitarian challenges and infrastructural destruction that continue to take place, particularly in Gaza in the past several months,” he said.
The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine said that there is no excuse for ignoring the existential threat the Palestinian people are facing. The International Court of Justice has fulfilled its mandate by unequivocally identifying the legal consequences for Israel, he said. Unchecked, undeterred Israeli impunity will only mean more Palestinians are killed, maimed, and detained. Those who claim that peace is possible without a just resolution for the question of Palestine are not being realistic. “Delayed justice is denied justice,” he said, calling for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Welcoming the text as being grounded in international law, he said that it seeks accountability and the fundamental path for justice. Palestine cannot be the exception. “I stand on this podium to tell you that justice is the only path to peace,” he said, also adding: “We are a nation that asks for nothing more than your nations but can accept nothing less.”
Rejecting the text, Israel’s representative said: “Perhaps you have forgotten, but we did not start this war — nor did we choose it.” The first resolution brought before the Assembly should have been a unanimous, unequivocal condemnation of the terror that occurred on 7 October 2023, he said, adding: “Instead, we gather here to watch the Palestinians’ UN circus, a circus where evil is righteous, war is peace, murder is justified and terror is applauded.” Those who contribute to it are enablers who fuel the violence and embolden those who reject peace.
He went on to say that today’s resolution distorts the International Court of Justice’s “flawed” advisory opinion, replaces reality with fiction and completely ignores both Hamas’ 7 October 2023 terrorist attack and Israel’s legitimate security concerns. “This resolution is diplomatic terrorism,” he underscored. Questioning what other Member State is treated this way, he said that, since 2015, 155 Assembly resolutions have condemned Israel while there have been only 88 condemning every other country combined.
Many Member States stressed that implementing the advisory opinion issued by the Court means that Israel must end its unlawful presence and cease settlement activities. “It is high time that practical measures were taken to end Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine,” underscored the representative of Cameroon, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
In a similar vein, Uganda’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), echoed the sentiment of other speakers when he said that the policies and measures being carried out in the Occupied Palestinian Territory by Israel constitute grave breaches of international law. He urged Israel to fully abide by its legal obligations, including under the 4th Geneva Convention.
The representative of Syria, speaking for the Arab Group, condemned Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people and also condemned Israel’s ongoing, repeated aggression against Lebanon and Syria. “Israel was, and still is, the main cause of the instability in our region,” he added in his national capacity.
Iran’s representative said that it was “not surprising” that the representative of the Israeli “regime” did not address the illegal occupation in his statement today, even though it is the “primary focus of this meeting”. “Their world seems to have begun from last year,” he observed. Underlining that regime’s consistent violation of the UN Charter and relevant conventions and resolutions, he said that not only should the State of Palestine be admitted as a full member of the Organization, but also that all Member States should reconsider Israel’s UN membership in accordance with Article 6.
“Israel has gone too far,” stressed Egypt’s delegate. Israel has killed over 40,000 people and injured over 94,000 Palestinians. Furthermore, it obstructs the delivery of humanitarian aid. “There is no clear horizon to put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he said. Adding to the outrage, Chile’s delegate spotlighted with deep alarm statements made by high-level Israeli officials calling for the killing of everyone who lives in Gaza.
Portugal’s representative, while also expressing deep concern for the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, condemned Hamas, and stressed that there is no justification for acts of terror. Malaysia’s representative said that Palestinian children have been subjected to horrors no child should experience. The war in Gaza is the worst atrocity conducted against the Palestinians since the Nakba of 1948.
The forthcoming vote is of “historic” significance, as it is on the first resolution presented by the State of Palestine to the General Assembly and “symbolizes a pivotal step in the Palestinian people’s pursuit of justice”, Türkiye’s delegate said. The text is emblematic of a broader movement within the international community to rectify long-standing injustices.
Dismissing the text as “a symbolic gesture” that will do nothing to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, the representative of the United States urged delegates to vote against it. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved through negotiations between the two parties, grounded in basic principles, including the notion of “land for peace”. The Palestinian resolution fails to acknowledge that Hamas, a terrorist organization, controls Gaza. And while acknowledging the key role of the International Court of Justice in advising the Assembly, she underscored that the “adoption of a one-sided resolution that selectively interprets the substance of the [Court’s] opinion does not advance what we all want to see.”
The representative of South Africa recalled that the Assembly itself requested the opinion that is the subject of today’s session. “This we did because we have a responsibility as Member States of the United Nations to hold each other to account and to ensure that legal decisions and resolutions of our Courts and our Organization are respected and implemented,” he pointed out.
The Assembly will take action on the draft resolution at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 18 September.
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