Israel

UN Resolution Asks Israel to End 'Unlawful Presence' in Palestine

SEP 19 2024·Updated SEP 22 2024

Story

Above: The UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 18, 2024. Image credit: Selcuk Acar/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Facts

The UN General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution on Wednesday calling for Israel to "end without delay its unlawful presence" in Palestinian areas within 12 months.
UN News
BBC News
There were 124 votes in favor and 14 votes against the measure, along with 43 abstentions. Among those in opposition were Israel itself and its closest ally, the US.
Al Jazeera
ap
Israel has been demanded to also evacuate all settlers and make reparations to Palestinians for damages, with calls for an embargo on arms that Israel might use in those areas.
UN News
Timesofisrael
The resolution is the first to be put forward by Palestine since gaining additional rights and privileges to its observer status this month, and marks the first time since 1982 that the General Assembly supports sanctions against Israel.
Reuters
Guardian
This comes as the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion in July declaring Israeli presence illegal in any area beyond the 1949 armistice line — including in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
BBC News
Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan and the Gaza Strip from Egypt in the 1967 Six-Day War, and considers these territories to be on disputed land rather than occupied.
The Washington Post
Timesofisrael
Al Jazeera

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-Palestine narrative

The international community must hold Israel accountable for its occupation of Palestinian territories, and an arms embargo will prove crucial to safeguard global legal standards and cease humanitarian crises. It's time for nations to take decisive steps against Israel to protect Palestinian lives and uphold international law.

Amnesty International

Pro-Israel narrative

UN officials have in the past virtually justified Hamas' terrorism by pointing to an alleged "suffocating occupation" in a blatant show of a systemic bias against Israel. Influenced by nations like Russia, China, and some Muslim-majority states, the UN keeps portraying Israel as an oppressor while downplaying atrocities committed by groups like Hamas.