The 10th emergency special session of the UN General Assembly, held on September 18, voted overwhelmingly for a resolution in support of the second advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of the Jordan River, including East Jerusalem). A total of 124 states (including Russia) voted in favour of the resolution, 14 voted against (Israel, the United States, Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malawi, Paraguay and several island states), and 43 nations (mostly EU members) abstained.

The document provides detailed conclusions and recommendations of the International Court of Justice on policies and practices in the OPT, and a number of concrete measures to ensure the implementation of that decision. It cites, in particular, the illegal nature of Israeli presence and demands that it cease immediately all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from the OPT, and make reparation for the damage caused to all the natural and legal persons concerned.

The resolution calls on all UN member states and international organisations not to recognise as legal the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful presence in the OPT. The resolution includes the court’s vital opinion that Israel’s policy and practices amount to the annexation of large parts of the OPT and constitute a direct violation of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

We would like to note that the vote on that UN General Assembly resolution took place amid an unprecedented escalation of violence and bloodshed in the zone of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This is the fourth UN General Assembly decision aimed at protecting the Palestinian people and its fundamental right to self-determination, including its right to a sovereign and independent state within the 1967 borders, with a capital in East Jerusalem.

In this connection, we would like to state again, with deep regret, that the US-dominated UN Security Council has not adopted similar vital statements. As you may know, Washington has recently exercised its veto power on five occasions, often unilaterally, to block UN Security Council draft resolutions on a ceasefire and on Palestine’s admission to the UN.

We view the adoption of this UNGA resolution as a crucial step towards international recognition of the illegality of Israel’s practices. It will also help enhance broad efforts to coordinate practical measures aimed at ensuring compliance with international law, ending the longest occupation in modern history, and implementing the two-state solution.