UN members demand end to 'unlawful' Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories

UN member states voted Wednesday to formally demand an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months and the imposition of sanctions for non-compliance.

The non-binding resolution, which Israel claimed would fuel violence, calling it "distorted" and "cynical," is based on an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) saying the occupation since 1967 was "unlawful."

There were 124 votes in favor, 14 against and a notable 43 abstentions, with the Palestinian delegation heralding the adoption as "historic."

Arab countries called the special session just days before dozens of world leaders meet at UN headquarters to address the kick-off of this year's General Assembly.

The move also comes weeks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, which unleashed the devastating and ongoing retaliatory war in Gaza.

The resolution -- the first introduced by the Palestinian delegation itself under new rights gained this year -- demands Israel "brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

It calls for a withdrawal "no later than 12 months" from the resolution's adoption. A previous draft gave six months.

"The idea is you want to use the pressure of the international community in the General Assembly and the pressure of the historic ruling by the ICJ to force Israel to change its behavior," said Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour on Monday.

Israel firmly rejected the resolution.

"This is what cynical international politics looks like," foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X.

He said it was "a distorted decision that is disconnected from reality, encourages terrorism and harms the chances for peace."

Hamas said it "welcomes the adoption", saying it reflected "the international community's solidarity with the Palestinian people's struggle."

- 'To live, not survive' -

The resolution "demands" the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territories, a halt to new settlements, the return of seized land and property, and the possibility of return for displaced Palestinians.

It also calls on states "to take steps toward ceasing" arms provisions to Israel when there are "reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

"The Palestinians want to live -- not survive. They want to be safe in their homes," Mansour said ahead of the vote Tuesday.

The United States voted against the resolution as did Hungary, the Czech Republic and several smaller island nations.

While the Security Council is largely paralyzed on the Gaza issue -- with the United States repeatedly vetoing censures of its ally Israel -- the General Assembly has adopted several texts in support of Palestinian civilians amid the current war.

No country in the General Assembly has veto power.

In May, the assembly overwhelmingly supported a largely symbolic resolution on full Palestinian membership at the UN, garnering 143 votes in favor and nine against, with 25 abstentions.

The push had previously been vetoed by Washington at the Security Council.

The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity.

Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 97 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 33 who the Israeli military says are dead.

More than 41,272 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The UN has acknowledged these figures as reliable.

According to the Israeli military, 348 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza military campaign since the start of the ground offensive on October 27.

Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, said "Israel should immediately heed the demand of an overwhelming majority of UN member states."