The UN General Assembly on Wednesday evening approved a Palestinian proposal that requires Israel to implement the decisions of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which calls, among other things, for the end of the Israeli presence "in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" within six months, the withdrawal of the IDF from there, the cessation of "settlements" and "the return of the Palestinians to their land."
The proposal also includes a call to countries not to legally recognize Israel's presence "in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," in addition to enforcing sanctions on senior Israeli officials, end the transfer of weapons to Israel if it is suspected that they will be used in those territories, and avoiding the establishment of diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.
Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon addresses the General Assembly
(Video: Danny Danon's X page)
Some 124 countries supported the proposal, 14 opposed and 43 abstained. Along with Israel, Argentina, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Hungary, Malawi, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, Tuvalu and the United States also opposed the proposal. Among those that abstained were Germany, Ukraine, Great Britain, Canada, India and 38 other countries. Greece, Cyprus and France surprised - and disappointed - when they voted in favor of the resolution.
The vote means that monitoring and control mechanisms of the UN will be established to implement the decision of the court in The Hague regarding the withdrawal of Israel from the territories. The decision will harm Israel's image in the world and will give fuel to organizations and countries to pass their own resolutions against Israel. The call for an arms embargo and the imposition of sanctions against Israel could work to convince countries to act on this decision and stop arms sales to the country.
Greece's ambassador to the UN, Evangelos C.Sekeris, said after the vote that "Israel has a right to security and self-defense. The current decision does not concern the need to hold direct negotiations on the two-state solution. However, Greece decided to support the vote. This is due to its broad support for international law and the International Court of Justice, which must be defended even if there are differences of opinion. We call for a political process to advance the two-state solution."
A political official said in response that "Greece and Cyprus have disappointed badly. We will demand clarifications." The vote of the two countries in support of the proposal came as a surprise, especially since Israel supplies weapons to Greece and Cyprus.
British Ambassador Barbara Woodward said that "Britain abstained from today's proposal. Britain did so because the decision does not provide sufficient clarity to advance the common goal of peace based on a two-state solution to be achieved through negotiations. We are committed to the rule of law and respect the court and call on the countries to unite behind the renewed efforts toward an agreed solution in accordance with international law."
She added that "Israel needs to end its presence in the territories as quickly as possible and create the conditions for the establishment of a free Palestine alongside a safe and free Israel - while recognizing the security and self-determination needs of each side. The unification of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza must also be brought about according to the 1967 borders We condemn the settlers' violence in the West Bank to pressure Palestinian communities to leave their land, and call on Israel to prosecute those responsible."
Before the vote, the diplomatic community held an event of solidarity with the families of hostages, and the ambassador of South Sudan attacked the ambassador of Norway and representatives of other countries: "You should be ashamed of yourselves. To sit in front of the families of hostages on the day you vote against Israel at the UN." He called on the representatives to leave the event and "Run" to call their prime ministers, "beg them to change their vote," he said.
"Each country has a vote, and the world is watching us," Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the General Assembly on Tuesday. "Please stand on the right side of history. With international law. With freedom. With peace."
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Danny Danon addresses the UN, shows photo of Hamas tunnel where 6 hostages were executed
He also called on the UN and the member states to implement their responsibilities under international law.
In his speech, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, attacked what he called the hypocrisy and bias of the United Nations against Israel, which since the October 7 massacre passed two resolutions in the General Assembly that ignored Hamas and its responsibility for the events of that day.
"Anyone who supports this circus is a collaborator. Anyone who votes in favor of this proposal fuels further violence. This show is an insult to the victims of the massacre, it is an insult to the hostages," he said.
In his speech, Danon presented a photo of the tunnel where the six murdered hostages were held, showing their blood spilled on the floor: "Eden, Hirsh, Alex, Carmel Uri and Almog. These are their names. Six innocent Israelis were murdered in cold blood after months of suffering in the tunnels. Imagine how you would feel if it was your child, your partner or your friend. Would you be silent even then? I tell you clearly: Jewish blood is not worthless. The days when Jewish blood was spilled without any response are over."