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UN Demands Israel End 'Unlawful' Presence in Palestinian Territories Within 12 Months

United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres speaks at a press conference ahead of the opening of the 79th High-level session of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations on September 18, 2024 in New York. (Photo by Bryan Smith / AFP)
United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres speaks at a press conference ahead of the opening of the 79th High-level session of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations on September 18, 2024 in New York. (Photo by Bryan Smith / AFP)
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UN Demands Israel End 'Unlawful' Presence in Palestinian Territories Within 12 Months

United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres speaks at a press conference ahead of the opening of the 79th High-level session of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations on September 18, 2024 in New York. (Photo by Bryan Smith / AFP)
United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres speaks at a press conference ahead of the opening of the 79th High-level session of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations on September 18, 2024 in New York. (Photo by Bryan Smith / AFP)

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a Palestinian-drafted resolution that demands Israel end "its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" within 12 months.
The resolution received 124 votes in favor, while 43 countries abstained and Israel, the United States and 12 others voted no, Reuters reported.
The action isolates Israel days before world leaders travel to New York for their annual UN gathering. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the 193-member General Assembly on Sept. 26, the same day as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The resolution welcomes a July advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice that said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements is illegal and should be withdrawn.
The advisory opinion - by the highest United Nations court, also known as the World Court - said this should be done "as rapidly as possible," although the General Assembly resolution imposes a 12-month deadline.
The General Assembly resolution also calls on states to "take steps towards ceasing the importation of any products originating in the Israeli settlements, as well as the provision or transfer of arms, munitions and related equipment to Israel ... where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."
The resolution is the first to be formally put forward by the Palestinian Authority since it gained additional rights and privileges this month including a seat among UN members in the assembly hall and the right to propose draft resolutions.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged countries to vote no on Wednesday. Washington - an arms supplier to and ally of Israel - has long opposed unilateral measures that undermine the prospect of a two-state solution.
The ICJ advisory opinion is not binding but carries weight under international law and may weaken support for Israel. A General Assembly resolution also is not binding, but carries political weight. There is no veto power in the assembly.
"Each country has a vote, and the world is watching us," Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the General Assembly on Tuesday. "Please stand on the right side of history. With international law. With freedom. With peace."
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon criticized the General Assembly on Tuesday for failing to condemn the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas militants that sparked Israel's assault on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
He rejected the Palestinian text, saying: "Let's call this for what it is: this resolution is diplomatic terrorism, using the tools of diplomacy not to build bridges but to destroy them."

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Israeli Strikes Kill 14 in Gaza and Destroy Heavy Equipment Needed to Clear Rubble 

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that hit machinery, in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that hit machinery, in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 14 in Gaza and Destroy Heavy Equipment Needed to Clear Rubble 

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that hit machinery, in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that hit machinery, in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025. (Reuters)

Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment that had been supplied by mediators to clear rubble. A separate strike in Lebanon on Tuesday killed a member of a local group.

Israel's 18-month offensive against Hamas has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, raising fears that much of it may never be rebuilt. The territory already had a shortage of heavy equipment, which is also needed to rescue people from the rubble after Israeli strikes and to clear vital roads.

A municipality in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza said a strike on its parking garage destroyed nine bulldozers provided by Egypt and Qatar, which helped broker the ceasefire that took hold in January. Israel ended the truce last month, renewing its bombardment and ground operations and sealing the territory's 2 million Palestinians off from all imports, including food, fuel and medical supplies.

The strikes also destroyed a water tanker and a mobile generator provided by aid groups, and a truck used to pump sewage, the Jabaliya al-Nazla municipality said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes. The military says it only targets fighters and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the group operates in densely populated areas.

Israeli strikes kill 14, mostly children

An Israeli airstrike early Tuesday destroyed a multistory home in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing nine people, including four women and four children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. The dead included a 2-year-old girl and her parents.

“They were asleep, sleeping in God’s peace. They had nothing to do with anything,” said Awad Dahliz, the slain girl's grandfather. “What is the fault of this innocent child?”

A separate strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp killed three children and their parents, according to the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service.

Israel's air and ground war has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

The war began when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage. They are still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Hamas has said it will only free the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire. Israel has said it will keep fighting until the hostages are returned and Hamas has been either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. It has pledged to hold onto so-called security zones in Gaza indefinitely.