The resolution was adopted by a two-thirds majority during an emergency session, with 124 delegates voting in favor, 14 against, and 43 abstaining. The United States, Israel’s closest ally, was among those in opposition.
The vote was in response to an advisory opinion issued in July by the International Court of Justice, the United Nations’ top court, that said Israel’s presence in the Palestinian Territories is unlawful and must end. The court’s opinion is also not legally binding.
The resolution put forward by the Palestinian Authority, a nonmember observer at the U.N. General Assembly, demands that Israel withdraw its forces and evacuate Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank “without delay.”
The resolution also urges countries to sanction those responsible for supporting Israel’s presence in the territories and to stop exporting arms to Israel if it is suspected that they will be used there.
The resolution further calls for Israel to pay reparations to Palestinians and urges countries to act to prevent trade or investments that maintain Israel’s presence in the territories.
The vote is a turning point “in our struggle for freedom and justice,” Permanent Observer of Palestine to the U.N. Riyad Mansour said. “It sends a clear message that Israel’s occupation must end as soon as possible and that the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination must be realized.”
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said the U.N. General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution calling for sanctions and an arms embargo was “a shameful decision that backs the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic terrorism.”
“Instead of marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre by condemning Hamas and calling for the release of all 101 of the remaining hostages, the General Assembly continues to dance to the music of the Palestinian Authority, which backs the Hamas murderers,” Danon said.
The U.S. delegate to the U.N. said the resolution was one-sided and “selectively interprets the substance” of the International Court of Justice.
Urging members to vote against the measure, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States has long opposed unilateral measures that undermine a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. This includes the advancement of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the resolution put forward for a vote on Sept. 18, she said.
Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution fails to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization that still controls Gaza or acknowledge Israel’s right to defend itself from acts of terror.
The U.S. delegate said the resolution “does nothing to end the current conflict with Hamas in Gaza; nothing to bring the hostages home to their families; and nothing to surge life-saving assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
Thomas-Greenfield said the end of the conflict will depend on direct negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians, not more U.N. committees. She said the resolution’s adoption “is not going to reinvigorate the peace process, let alone create a path toward a two-state solution.”
Syria’s delegate to the U.N. said the resolution’s adoption is an expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people and a global rejection of Israeli occupation. Belgium’s delegate said that terrorist groups such as Hamas “feed on oppression and hopelessness” and that the resolution’s adoption would restore hope among the Palestinian population.
The resolution was adopted as the Israel–Hamas conflict in Gaza approaches its first anniversary. The conflict began following attacks against Israel launched by Hamas and other militants from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. The attacks saw a coordinated group of Gaza-based terrorists commit summary killings, hostage-taking, and other war crimes, according to Human Rights Watch. More than 1,200 people, including children, service members, and foreign nationals, were killed in the attack.
The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry has said that more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing conflict. The ministry does not distinguish between terrorists and civilians but has said that many women and children are among the dead.
Efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza are ongoing, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting fellow mediators in Egypt on Sept. 18.
