New York (Union)
The United Arab Emirates yesterday welcomed the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine within 12 months, considering that the resolution should set a roadmap for moving forward, and pointing out that the ruling of the International Court of Justice is clear that the occupation is illegal and it is time for it to end.
The UAE said in a statement before the UN General Assembly, delivered by Ambassador Mohammed Abu Shehab, the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations: “The UAE welcomed the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, regarding the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territory, which constituted an important step in the path of the Palestinian cause, and affirmed Israel’s obligations under international law.”
She added: “My country participated with many other countries and international organizations in the advisory opinion procedures of the International Court of Justice, and we affirmed at that time that the Israeli occupation is illegal and it is time for it to end, which is the position that the collective will of the international community rallies around.”
The statement affirmed the UAE’s support for the draft resolution submitted by the State of Palestine, which builds on the Court’s advisory opinion and sets out a roadmap for moving forward, including a demand for Israel to end the occupation within 12 months, and to cease its settlement activities and measures that violate the historical status quo in the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Mohammed Abu Shahab said: “This session is being held almost a year after the devastating war on the Gaza Strip, where we stand as witnesses to an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy in our contemporary history, which claimed the lives of more than 41,000 innocent civilians and displaced the vast majority of the Strip’s population.”
He stressed the need to achieve an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, ensure full and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to all those in need, release hostages and detainees, and implement relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 2735, 2728, 2720, and 2712.
The statement also expressed appreciation for the mediation efforts undertaken by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
He said: “Priority must be given to improving the health situation in the Gaza Strip. The return of polio after its eradication 25 years ago is a dangerous indicator of the collapse of the health system in the Strip.”
In this context, on September 11, the UAE contributed to the largest medical evacuation from Gaza since the beginning of the war, in cooperation with the World Health Organization. We also funded a campaign to provide polio vaccines to more than 640,000 children in Gaza.
The statement added: “All settlement activities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, must be halted, the increasing Israeli military incursions and settler attacks must be stopped, and the historical and legal status quo and Hashemite custodianship of the holy sites in Jerusalem must be respected.”
He called for working to defuse the conflict by relaunching a credible peace process that leads to the achievement of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, as this is the only way to achieve just and comprehensive peace in the region.
Yesterday, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by majority a resolution demanding that Israel end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory within 12 months, based on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.
124 members voted in favor of the resolution, 14 members opposed it, and 43 abstained from voting. The resolution stipulates that Israel should end without delay its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory within a maximum period of 12 months from the date of adoption of the resolution.
The General Assembly resolution calls on Israel to withdraw all its military forces from the occupied Palestinian territory and to end its illegal practices, including the immediate cessation of all new settlement activities, the evacuation of all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory and the dismantling of the parts of the wall constructed by Israel.
The resolution also calls for the return of lands and other immovable property and all assets seized since the beginning of the occupation in 1967, allowing all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their original places of residence, and not hindering the Palestinian people from exercising their right to self-determination.
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