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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Court of Justice that said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements is illegal and should be withdrawn.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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Arab World

Türkiye Calls Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland ‘Illegitimate’

This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on December 30, 2025, shows Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) shaking hands before their meeting in Istanbul. (Photo by Handout / Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on December 30, 2025, shows Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) shaking hands before their meeting in Istanbul. (Photo by Handout / Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
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Türkiye Calls Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland ‘Illegitimate’

This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on December 30, 2025, shows Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) shaking hands before their meeting in Istanbul. (Photo by Handout / Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on December 30, 2025, shows Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (L) shaking hands before their meeting in Istanbul. (Photo by Handout / Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)

Türkiye’s president on Tuesday called Israel's recognition of Somaliland "illegitimate and unacceptable" as he hosted a visit by his Somali counterpart.

"Preserving the unity and integrity of Somalia in all circumstances holds special importance in our view. Israel's decision to recognize Somaliland is illegitimate and unacceptable," Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press conference alongside Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Israel sparked criticism last Friday when it said it was officially recognizing Somaliland -- a breakaway territory in Somalia's north.

The declaration was a first for the territory, which in 1991 had unilaterally declared secession from Somalia.

Israel's move has drawn widespread criticism from the African Union, Egypt and the European Union, which insist on war-torn Somalia's sovereignty.

Türkiye has frequently clashed with Israel over a range of issues, especially over the conflict in Gaza and Israeli obstruction of aid to the Palestinian territory.

Mohamud said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "aggressive position, which also includes Somalia, is unacceptable".

He called Netanyahu's Somaliland declaration "a violation of international law" and "the start of insecurity and instability, especially for Somalia and the African region".

Arab World

10 Countries Warn of ‘Catastrophic’ Gaza Situation

Palestinians stand next to a tent set up on the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians stand next to a tent set up on the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP)
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10 Countries Warn of ‘Catastrophic’ Gaza Situation

Palestinians stand next to a tent set up on the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians stand next to a tent set up on the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP)

The foreign ministers of 10 nations on Tuesday expressed "serious concerns" about a "renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in Gaza, saying the situation was "catastrophic". 

"As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping," the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said in a joint statement released by the UK's Foreign Office. 

"1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding," the statement added. 

The ministers said they welcomed the progress that had been made to end the bloodshed in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages. 

"However, we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in Gaza," they said, calling on the government of Israel to take a string of "urgent and essential" steps. 

These included ensuring that international NGOs could operate in Gaza in a "sustained and predictable" way. 

"As 31 December approaches, many established international NGO partners are at risk of being de-registered because of the government of Israel's restrictive new requirements," the statement said. 

It also called for the UN and its partners to be able to continue their work in Gaza and for the lifting of "unreasonable restricts on imports considered to have a dual use". 

This included medical and shelter equipment. 

The foreign ministers also called for the opening of crossings to boost the flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

While welcoming the partial opening of the Allenby crossing, they said other corridors for moving goods remained closed or severely restricted for humanitarian aid, including Rafah. 

"Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely," the statement said. 

"The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor not a ceiling. These targets should be lifted so we can be sure the vital supplies are getting in at the vast scale needed," it added. 

Arab World

UN Condemns Israel's Moves against Agency for Palestinian Refugees

UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
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UN Condemns Israel's Moves against Agency for Palestinian Refugees

UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)

The United Nations warned Tuesday that recent actions by Israel against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees risked depriving millions of people of basic services such as education and healthcare.

Israel's parliament passed new legislation on Monday formally stripping the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of diplomatic immunity, and barring Israeli companies from providing water or electricity to the agency's institutions, AFP reported.

According to UNRWA, the legislation also grants the Israeli government the authority to expropriate the agency's properties in East Jerusalem, including its headquarters and main vocational training center.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the legislation as "outrageous", decrying it on social media as "part of an ongoing, systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct the core role that the agency plays providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees".

Filippo Grandi, the outgoing head of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and a former UNRWA chief, also criticised the move as "very unfortunate".

In an interview with AFP, he highlighted that UNRWA, unlike other UN agencies, provides basic public services such as education and healthcare to the millions of registered Palestinian refugees it serves across Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

"If you deprive those people of those services... then you had better find a substitute," he said, warning: "I think it would be very difficult."

"At the moment, there is a great risk that millions of people will be deprived of basic services if UNRWA is further deprived of space to work, and resources to work."

Israel has been ratcheting up pressure on UNRWA over the past two years.

It has accused the agency of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some UNRWA employees took part in the militant group's October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

A series of UN-linked internal and external investigations found some "neutrality-related issues" at UNRWA, but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation.

Grandi criticised the torrent of accusations that have swirled around the agency.

"UNRWA is a very indispensable organization in the Middle East," he said.

"Contrary to much of the frankly baseless rhetoric that we have heard in the past couple of years, UNRWA is a force for peace and stability," he added.

"In a region in which you need every bit of stability and efforts towards peace, it would be really irresponsible to let such an important organization decline further."