The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted 124-14 to pass a resolution stripping Israel of its right to self-defense against Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
The resolution is based on a July advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice which found Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal.
Ahead of the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he supported the International Court of Justice option and would abide by the vote calling on the Israel Defense Forces to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders within 12 months.
The resolution also calls on member states not to sell weapons or military equipment to Israel for use in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and calls for a boycott of all Israeli products produced across the pre-1967 borders.
The resolution has only declaratory force, but it gives international support to countries that want to take additional steps against Israel.
No mention of hostages
The document makes no mention of Hamas, the October 7 Israeli invasion or the 101 hostages remaining in Gaza, and makes no demands on Hamas or the Palestinians regarding attacks on Israel.
The resolution was opposed by Argentina, Czech Republic, Fiji, Hungary, Israel, Malawi, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, Tuvalu and the United States.
The 43 countries that abstained included Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union countries of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.
New Zealand supported the resolution, as did 13 other EU countries: Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
Canada’s UN Ambassador Bob Rae denounced the resolution, even though his country abstained and said his government agreed with many of its principles, including respecting the role of the International Court of Justice and Israel’s withdrawal to its pre-1967 borders.
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“Canada cannot support a resolution that places sole responsibility for the conflict on one party – the State of Israel,” Ray said.
“The resolution makes no mention of the need to end terrorism, about which Israel has serious and legitimate security concerns,” he said.
“Canada is concerned that this resolution contains language consistent with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (movement), which Canada firmly opposes. This effort is specifically aimed at isolating Israel,” Ray said.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the resolution was “out of touch with reality, encourages terrorism and undermines chances for peace by ignoring Israel’s real security concerns, especially in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks. This resolution is “out of touch and a sign of cynical international politics.”
The resolution strengthens “the terrorist organization of Hamas and the terrorist state of Iran behind it,” the foreign ministry said. “The resolution sends a message that terrorism is profitable and will bring about an international solution. This decision will only strengthen Hamas’ rejectionism regarding the release of the hostages and a ceasefire agreement, making the possibility of reaching such an agreement even more remote.”
“Instead of condemning Hamas on the anniversary of the massacre on October 7 and calling for the release of the remaining 101 hostages, the UN General Assembly is at the mercy of the Palestinian Authority, which supports Hamas’ killers,” Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon said.
New Zealand’s UN ambassador, Carolyn Schwalbe, said her country supported the resolution, even though she did not think it would be possible for Israel to comply with it.
“The resolution’s 12-month deadline for Israel to withdraw from occupied Palestinian territory is frankly unrealistic,” she said. “A two-state solution must be the product of negotiations. Aspirations need to be tempered with realism, given the complex issues that need to be addressed.”
“But we expect that within the next 12 months Israel will take meaningful steps toward complying with international law, particularly through withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territory,” Schwalber said.
“We also expect the Palestinian Authority to take meaningful steps to assume political and security control of the occupied territories,” she added.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s office welcomed the decision, and on Tuesday, when the UN began considering the resolution, Palestinian Authority envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour called it historic.
In a statement carried by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), Abbas called on UN member states to take individual and collective action to implement the resolution.
Speaking ahead of the vote on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the General Assembly that the resolution “refuses to address the reality that Israel, as a member state of the United Nations, has the right to protect and defend its people against terrorism and acts of violence.”
“Despite the fact that Hamas has just upended ceasefire negotiations by brutally killing six hostages, and that it continues to use civilians as human shields in Gaza, this resolution contains no measures to pressure Hamas to comply with Security Council resolution 2735 and to accept and implement the agreement presented to it without delay and without further conditions,” she said.
Likud member Dan Illouz responded to the vote in a post on X, saying, “The UN poses a direct threat to the free world and sends a dangerous message that free nations have no right to defend themselves from bloodthirsty, immoral terrorists. Instead of condemning Hamas for the brutal massacre of over 1,200 innocent civilians, the UN is shamefully targeting Israel, the only democracy in the region that upholds human rights.”
The UN poses a direct threat to the free world and sends a dangerous message: that free nations have no right to defend themselves against bloodthirsty, immoral terrorists. Instead of condemning Hamas for its brutal massacre of over 1,200 innocent civilians, the UN shamefully…
— דן אילוז – Dan Illouz (@dillouz) September 18, 2024
“Worse yet, the institutions established after the Holocaust to prevent such atrocities are now covering up a new genocidal attempt led by Iran through its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” he continued. “In this absurd theater, the UN is trying to accuse Israel of violating international law, when Israel is the only country in the region that abides by and enforces international law even in times of war. Israel is a moral compass and protects its people while upholding the highest standards of law and justice.”
“Make no mistake: this is not just Israel’s war. This is a war for the right of the entire free world to defend itself against terror and evil. Do not be fooled: Israel may be on the front lines, but you are also a target. This fight is for freedom, decency and the survival of life itself,” the post concluded.