The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The resolution passed in a vote of 124-14, with 43 nations abstaining. The resolution affirmed an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice that deemed the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem to be illegal.
The resolution sets a 12-month timeline for Israeli forces and settlers to leave the occupied territories. However, like the ICJ ruling, the resolution is not legally binding, and the UN has no way of enforcing it.
Israel and the US were among the 14 countries that voted against the resolution. The other 12 countries were Hungary, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Fiji, Malawi, Nauru, Micronesia, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the resolution and called for a Palestinian state. “The international consensus over this resolution renews the hopes of our Palestinian people — who are facing a comprehensive aggression and genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem — to achieve its aspirations of freedom and independence and establishing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.
The US, which has provided diplomatic cover for Israel at the UN throughout the genocidal war in Gaza, criticized the resolution, calling it “one-sided” because it doesn’t mention Hamas.
“This resolution will not bring about tangible progress for Palestinians,” said the US mission to the UN. “In fact, it could both complicate efforts to end the conflict in Gaza and impede reinvigorating steps toward a two-state solution, while ignoring Israel’s very real security concerns.”
