MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines this week voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution demanding Israel to end its occupation in Palestine.
Of the 193 countries, a majority or 124 countries, including the Philippines, voted in favor of the resolution. Only 14 voted against, 43 countries abstained, and 12 did not vote. Israel and the United States voted against the resolution, while Ukraine, which faces threats from Russia, abstained.
The countries voted on Wednesday, September 18, to adopt the measure containing the assembly’s demands to Israel. The resolution also included the assembly’s explanation why the Palestinian occupation was deemed unlawful. The UNGA also adopted the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestine and “illegality of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
In the adopted measure, the UNGA demanded “that Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which constitutes a wrongful act of a continuing character entailing its international responsibility, and do so no later than 12 months from the adoption of the present resolution.” This means Israel is being urged to end its Palestinian occupation not later than September 2025.
Apart from this, the UNGA affirmed the ICJ’s opinion that Israel’s settlement is in violation of the international law.
“Israel is not entitled to sovereignty over or to exercise sovereign powers in any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory on account of its occupation, nor can Israel’s security concerns override the principle of the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force,” the resolution read.
The UNGA also demanded that Israel fulfill its obligations under international law, including the recommendations made by the ICJ. Some of the recommendations are:
- Withdraw all military forces in the occupied Palestinian territory, including its airspace and maritime space
- End unlawful practices and policies and cease new settlement activity; evacuate all settlers from the occupied territory and dismantle the parts of the wall constructed by Israel in the territory
- Return the land, immovable property, and assets seized by Israel since its occupation started in 1967; return all cultural property and assets taken from Palestine
- Allow all displaced Palestinians to return to their original place of residence
- Pay reparations to all natural and legal persons affected by the occupation
Just this May, the UNGA adopted a resolution that backed the Palestine’s bid to become a full UN member. The UNGA, by adopting the resolution, recognized Palestine as qualified to join and recommended the UN Security Council to “reconsider the matter favorably.”
Palestine currently faces a series of attacks from Israel, and the most recent ones were triggered by the October 7, 2023 incident, where Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack against Israel. In response, Israel declared war against Hamas.
The fight between Palestine and Israel traces back to the early 1900s, when the British government committed “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” and facilitated “the achievement of this object” through the commitment known as the Balfour Declaration, according to Al Jazeera.
The British government made the deal even at a time when Palestinian Arab natives already made up 90% of the population in the area. – Rappler.com