UNGA overwhelmingly adopts draft resolution demanding end to Israel’s illegal presence in Palestinian territories

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a draft resolution formally demanding an end to Israel’s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories, WAFA News Agency reported.

The UNGA overwhelmingly voted for the draft resolution, which formally demands an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months. It is based on the ICJ’s advisory opinion, which found that Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories was “unlawful”, and that its “near-complete separation” of people in the occupied West Bank breached international laws concerning “racial segregation” and “apartheid”, and grounded in international law.

A total of 124 states voted in favor of the draft resolution, 43 others abstained, and 14 others voted against it.

On Tuesday, the State of Palestine submitted the draft resolution to the UNGA as a follow-up on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories during the 10th special emergency session of the UNGA in New York.

The draft resolution was supported by a number of states, including Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey, Algeria, Djibouti, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Mauritania.

According to the United Nation, by the terms of the text (document A/ES-10/L.31/Rev.1), the Assembly demands that Israel end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory no later than 12 months from the adoption of the resolution and cease immediately all new settler-colonialist activity and evacuate all colonists from the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Further, the UNGA demand Israel return land seized since its occupation started in 1967 and allow Palestinians displaced to return to homes.