UN General Assembly debates call for end to Israeli occupation

“Israel is committed to ending its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as soon as possible,” said the statement requested by the General Assembly.

In response, Arab countries called for a special session of the assembly, just days before dozens of heads of state and government arrive at UN headquarters this month to address the opening of this year’s General Assembly.

“The idea is to use the pressure of the international community in the General Assembly and the pressure of the historic ruling of the ICJ to force Israel to change its behavior,” said Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour, who acknowledged that the draft resolution had “shocked many countries.”

The draft resolution, which is expected to be voted on late Tuesday or Wednesday, “demands that Israel immediately end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory,” and “no later than 12 months after its adoption.”

The first draft text only provided for a deadline of six months.

The draft resolution also “calls for” the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territories, a halt to settlement construction, the return of confiscated land and property, and the possibility of return for displaced Palestinians.

However, a paragraph calling on member states to stop their arms exports to Israel disappeared from the draft text during the negotiations.

“I hope that we will have a sufficient number of participants,” said Mansour, stressing the “great level of sympathy and solidarity” with the Palestinians.

While the Security Council is largely paralyzed on the Gaza issue – the US repeatedly vetoes the reprimand of its ally Israel – the General Assembly has adopted several texts in support of Palestinian civilians in the current war.

In May, the Assembly overwhelmingly supported a largely symbolic resolution on full Palestine membership in the UN, receiving 143 votes in favour, nine against and 25 abstentions.

Washington had previously blocked this move in the Security Council with its veto.

Although General Assembly resolutions are not binding, Israel has already condemned the new text as “disgraceful.”

Adoption of the resolution would be “a reward for terrorism and a message to the world that the barbaric slaughter of children, the rape of women and the kidnapping of innocent civilians is a worthwhile tactic,” said Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon.

The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 killed 1,205 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.

The militants also captured 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli military, 33 of them are dead.

According to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-controlled Gaza area, at least 41,226 people have died in the Israeli offensive. An exact breakdown of the casualties among civilians and militants is not published. The UN Office for Human Rights says most of the dead are women and children.