U.N. considers demanding Israel end occupation of Palestinian territories

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly is considering a Palestinian resolution Tuesday demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year and calling for sanctions and an arms embargo against the country.

It will be put to a vote in the 193-member assembly Wednesday as Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza approaches its first anniversary and as violence in the West Bank reaches new highs. The war was triggered by Hamas attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, urged member nations to reject the measure, describing it as “an attempt to destroy Israel through diplomatic terrorism” and that “ignores the truth, twists the facts and replaces reality with fiction.”

“Instead of a resolution condemning the rape and massacre committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, we gather here to watch the Palestinians’ U.N. circus — a circus where evil is righteous, war is peace, murder is justified and terror is applauded,” he told the assembly. “This resolution doesn’t move the region forward, it drags the region backward, delaying the hope for peace and advancement.”

The resolution, if adopted by the General Assembly, would not be legally binding. There are no vetoes in the assembly, unlike in the 15-member Security Council.

It follows a ruling by the top United Nations court in July that said Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories is unlawful and must end.

In the sweeping condemnation of Israel’s rule over the lands it captured during the 1967 war, the International Court of Justice said Israel had no right to sovereignty over the territories and was violating international laws against acquiring the lands by force.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas Greenfield told reporters that the resolution has “a significant number of flaws,” saying it goes beyond the ICJ ruling and doesn’t recognize both that “Hamas is a terrorist organization” in control of Gaza and that Israel has a right to defend itself.