Palestinians’ UN proposal demands Israel leave Gaza and the West Bank in 6 months
UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinians have circulated a draft UN resolution demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the West Bank within six months.
The proposed General Assembly resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, follows a ruling by the highest court of the United Nations In July, he said Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories is illegitimate and must end.
In its sweeping condemnation of Israel’s rule over the territories it conquered 57 years ago, the International Court of Justice said Israel had no right to sovereignty over the territories and that it was violating international law over the lands it acquired by force. It also said Israeli settlement construction must stop.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, condemned the resolution, describing it as a “reward for terrorism.” He called for the resolution to be rejected.
“Let it be clear: nothing will stop or deter Israel from its mission to retrieve the hostages and eliminate Hamas,” he said.
The UN draft resolution comes as Israel military attack on Gaza enters the 11th month after being triggered by the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7 and when the violence in the West Bank reaches new heights.
The proposal, if adopted by the 193-member General Assembly, would not be legally binding, but the level of support would reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly, unlike the 15-member Security Council.
A diplomat at the council said the Palestinians were seeking a vote before world leaders at the General Assembly begin their annual high-level meetings on Sept. 22. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions on the draft resolution have been private.
The proposal demands that Israel comply with international law and, among other things, immediately withdraw all military forces from the Palestinian territories.
The draft resolution not only calls for a end to all new settlement activities but the evacuation of all settlers and the dismantling of the separation wall that Israel has built in the West Bank.
And it calls for all Palestinians displaced during the Israeli occupation to be allowed “to return to their original places of residence” and for Israel to pay reparations “for the damage caused” to all people in the territories.
Israel considers the West Bank a disputed territory, the future of which must be decided through negotiations, while moved people there in settlements to tighten its grip. It annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally. It withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but maintained a blockade of the area after Hamas seized power in 2007.
Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, the Gaza Ministry of Health says more than 40,900 Palestinians have been killed there. It makes no distinction between combatants and civilians in its count. The war has caused enormous destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.
Meanwhile, settler violence in the West Bank has reached new heights and Israeli military raids on West Bank towns and villages have become more devastating, killing 692 Palestinians, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Attacks by Palestinian militants on Israelis inside the territory have also increased.
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians seek an independent state in all three areas. The international community generally considers all three areas as occupied territory.
Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the Security Council last month that he planned to submit a General Assembly resolution in September to ratify the ICJ ruling. “We are tired of waiting,” he said. “The time for waiting is over.”
The proposed resolution contains other demands. For example, the resolution demands that Israel be held accountable for violations of international law. The resolution also demands sanctions against those responsible for Israel’s presence in the territories. The resolution also demands that countries cease arms exports to Israel if there is a suspicion that these weapons are being used in the territories.
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AP journalist Julia Frankel wrote a contribution from Jerusalem.