UN General Assembly votes to support Israeli withdrawal

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to support a nonbinding Palestinian resolution demanding Israel withdraw what the resolution characterized as its unlawful presence from Gaza and the West Bank within a year. The 193-member assembly voted 124-14 in favor of the resolution, with 43 countries abstaining. The United States voted to oppose the resolution in solidarity with Israel.

Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said the vote sends a clear message that Israel’s, in his words, occupation must end as soon as possible. Conversely, Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, slammed the body for backing what he referred to as the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic terrorism.

What else does the resolution demand? In addition to saying Israeli soldiers and settlers must withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank, the resolution urges countries to impose sanctions on countries that help Israel maintain its presence in those regions and requires that they halt exports of arms that may be used there. The resolution also calls for Israel to pay reparations to Palestinians and asks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report to the General Assembly on the progress of implementing these demands in the next three months.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s feature in WORLD Magazine on whether Gaza will be able to achieve independence.