The United Nations General Assembly has voted on a Palestinian-drafted resolution demanding Israel put an end to its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the West Bank within 12 months.
The UN General Assembly vote occurred early on Thursday morning (AEST).
The resolution received 124 votes in favour, while 43 countries — including Australia — abstained. Israel, the United States and 12 others voted no.
The action isolates Israel days before world leaders travel to New York for their annual UN gathering.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the 193-member General Assembly on 26 September, the same day as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
What does the resolution state?
The resolution welcomes a July advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice that said Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements is illegal and should be withdrawn.
The advisory opinion — by the highest UN court, also known as the World Court — said this should be done “as rapidly as possible”, although the General Assembly resolution imposes a 12-month deadline.
The General Assembly resolution also calls on states to “take steps towards ceasing the importation of any products originating in the Israeli settlements, as well as the provision or transfer of arms, munitions and related equipment to Israel … where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
The resolution is the first to be formally put forward by the Palestinian Authority since it gained additional rights and privileges this month, including a seat among UN members in the assembly hall and the right to propose draft resolutions.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, said his people faced an “existential threat” and urged member states to vote in favour of the resolution. Source: AAP / Yuki Iwamura/AP
Israel has occupied Palestinian territories — the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) — since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
In 2005, Israel ended its permanent military presence in Gaza, withdrawing its troops and dismantling its settlements.
But the enclave has remained under a land, air and sea blockade by Israel since 2007, and Israel is still considered to be the occupying power under international law.
The UN considers both Gaza and the West Bank to still be under Israeli occupation, which Israel rejects.
Although neither the ICJ’s advisory opinion nor the resolution is legally binding, it carries weight under international law and support reflects how the world perceives the conflict.
What were the arguments for and against the vote?
US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, condemned the draft resolution as “inflammatory” and argued it would not help achieve peace.
Ahead of the vote, Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham called for the Albanese government to reject the motion, calling it “one-sided” in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday, as it did not condemn Hamas.
But the Greens and the Palestinian envoy in Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi, called on Australia to support the motion.
Abdulhadi said supporting the non-binding resolution would be in line with the opinion of the UN’s top court, the ICJ which the federal government said it respected.
“Each country has a vote, and the world is watching us,” Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour told the General Assembly on Tuesday before the vote.
“Please stand on the right side of history. With international law. With freedom. With peace.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, pressed other member nations to reject the resolution, as it fails to mention the atrocities inflicted by Hamas in its October 7 attack on Israel, calling it “an attempt to destroy Israel through diplomatic terrorism”.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people during its October 7 attack on Israel, taking around 250 hostages.
The Israeli military’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed more than 41,000 people, according to the enclave’s health ministry.
With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press
