UN General Assembly anti-Israel resolution effective on paper only
The UN has asked the International Court of Justice to hold Israel to account for its occupation of Palestinian territories as well as efforts to Judaize Al-Quds
It didn't take more than a day after the most controversial and right wing cabinet took over in Israel, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu.
The UNGA acted swiftly and asked the ICJ to consider the consequences for Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories.
Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories. End of quote.
Csaba Korosi, President of The United Nations General Assembly
The timing was pre planned; the resolution was a signal to the new administration. Lots of cheers from the PA ambassador to the UN on the matter though.
This vote and request comes one day after the new Israeli government was formed, pledging to accelerate colonial and racist policies against the Palestinian people.
Riyad Mansour, PA Ambassador to the UN
It came as no surprise that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had the complete opposite view say that Israel is not bound by "the despicable UN vote".
(Like) All the hundreds of distorted decisions against Israel, that were passed by the General Assembly of the United Nation over years, also the despicable decision that was passed today will not bind the Israeli government.
The Jewish people are neither occupiers on their own land nor occupiers in our eternal capital Jerusalem and no UN resolution can warp that historical truth.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
But does this resolution and referral to the ICJ make a difference where Israel is concerned? Or Palestinians for that matter? Definitely not. The reasons speak for themselves.
As far as the ICC is concerned, Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute which established the ICC. However, the International Criminal Court has determined that it does have jurisdiction over the territories occupied by Israel despite Israel's insistence to the contrary.
So what is the point of this if it won't change the facts on the ground? Well, aside from Israel not being a member of the ICC, it disputes the court's jurisdiction on the basis that Palestine is not a sovereign state that is capable of being a party to the Rome Statute.
The UNGA areas of focus have been issues that Israel has neither heeded nor even taken into account. Violation by Israel, on the rights of the Palestinian people to self determination, as well as altering the demographic composition of Al Quds is something that Israel has been actively doing.
Coming right out of the gates, this administration has already said that it will go against the resolution.
Israel has had the most UN resolution slammed against it, over 70 so far and still counting. Israel has adhered to none of them, not even once..
The Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has called the resolution a "moral stain on the UN". He said no international body can decide that the Jewish people are occupiers of their own homeland, adding any decision from a judicial body which receives its mandate from the morally bankrupt and politicized UN is completely illegitimate.
The UNGA resolution also exposes the hypocrisy of the so called "normalization" of some Persian Gulf Arab countries with Israel.
The resolution had virtually unanimous support from the Islamic world, including Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel.
The new Israeli administration is described as being the most religious and right wing in Israel's history. So extreme it has even put it at odds with Israelis inside Israel. Additionally, it has rattled the cages of Israel's closest allies while escalating tensions with the Palestinians.
This new coalition has explicitly called for illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank to be its top priority, planning to legalize dozens of illegally built outposts and to annex occupied territory.
The incoming Minister of National Security, Ben-Gvir, who will be responsible for the Al Aqsa mosque, the Israeli police and the Palestinians inside of Israel, has openly called for settlements expansion. Ben-Gvir also supports Jewish prayer at the Al Aqsa mosque complex.
Most interestingly the United States, Britain, and Germany, have opposed the UNGA resolution. The question that can be asked here is if these countries voted against the resolution, doesn't that mean that they are in essence giving Israel the green light to go ahead with what the UNGA had opposed, changing the demographics and the Islamic identity at the Al Aqsa mosque, or preventing the Palestinians right of return and issues such as the illegal settlements.
The UK ambassador to the UN has already taken a defensive position when it comes to Israel.
We are deeply concerned about the West Bank and call on all sides to work together to urgently de escalate the situation. The UK moves to annul the resolution is really practices affecting human rights of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem because we do not feel that a referral to the International Court of Justice is helpful in bringing the parties back to dialogue.
Thomas Phipps, British Diplomat to the UN
What appears to be certain is that the Palestinians may be facing an even bleaker future with this extreme Israeli coalition cabinet that has been formed.
This can only mean that the crimes against Palestinians may go into overdrive in this New Year, which is very hard to imagine, given the undeniable fact that Israel has already violated Palestinian rights to such extremes that going beyond what has been done already is unfathomable.
It remains to be seen how the world will react once this administration begins its work in the occupied Palestinian territories.
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