The United Nations passed a Palestinian-drafted resolution on Wednesday calling on Israel to withdraw from the “Occupied Palestinian Territory” within 12 months, a move Israel’s new ambassador called “shameful.”
“This is a shameful decision that supports diplomatic terrorism of the Palestinian Authority,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said after the vote.
“Instead of condemning Hamas on the anniversary of the massacre on October 7 and calling for the release of all 101 remaining hostages, the UN General Assembly is at the mercy of the Palestinian Authority in supporting Hamas’ killers,” Danon added.
The proposal was supported by 124 countries, with 43 abstentions and 14 voting against. The United States voted against the resolution, joined by Argentina, Czech Republic, Fiji, Hungary, Israel, Malawi, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and Tuvalu.
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The resolution is not legally binding, but the General Assembly also called on member states to “take measures to halt the import of any products originating from Israeli settlements, and the supply or transfer to Israel of arms, ammunition and related equipment, if there are sufficient grounds to suspect that they will be used in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon speaks at the UN General Assembly. (UN photo/Eskinder Debebe)
This is the first resolution proposed by the Palestinians since the May vote gave them additional powers as a member state, including the right to propose resolutions.
The Palestinian Authority urged the resolution following an advisory opinion issued in July by the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements is illegal and must be lifted.
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Andrew Tucker, executive director of the Hague International Cooperation Initiative, told Fox News Digital ahead of the resolution vote that the proposal essentially calls for the implementation of the ICJ’s advisory opinion with a strict timeline, but the ICJ is simply saying it should be implemented “immediately.”
The Jewish settlement of Har Blaha is located in the West Bank, in the heart of Biblical Samaria. (Eitan Schweber/TPS)
“The court issued an opinion in July,” Tucker explained. “It’s an opinion, it’s not a judgment, it’s not a criminal case. They’re not adjudicating a dispute. It’s a legal opinion that’s been requested of the court by the General Assembly.”
“But this goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Tucker said. “Essentially, the court has been asked to give an opinion on a key issue that has been at stake between Israel and Palestine for decades, and the General Assembly is now implementing that opinion.”
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“The court is saying: It doesn’t matter what Israel’s security concerns are, it doesn’t matter that there’s a war going on in Gaza, it doesn’t matter that Hezbollah is threatening to attack from the north. All of this is irrelevant,” Tucker continued.
Amid growing international pressure over the Gaza war, the International Court of Justice ruled on July 19, 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967 is “illegal.” (Nick Gammon/AFP via Getty Images)
“Palestinians have a kind of absolute right to self-determination, which means that Israel’s presence on their territory has become illegal,” he added. “Now, legally… there is a lot to be said about this. For example… the right to self-determination has never been given such priority.”
Tucker argued that the impact of such a decision could lead to a “larger conflict” as an early Israeli withdrawal would leave open the possibility of Iran invading the West Bank, similar to what it did against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians march at the funeral of a terrorist killed in clashes during an Israeli military operation the previous day in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, on July 5, 2023. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
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“If Israel withdraws from these areas … it’s just 10 kilometers from the minimum point between the West Bank and Tel Aviv,” Tucker said.
“So, whoever controls these territories, if it is hostile to Israel, which unfortunately is the case, we will face an extremely precarious security situation,” he added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
