Palestinians push for UN resolution declaring settlements illegal - report

AUGUST 10, 2024 21:00

Updated: AUGUST 11, 2024 16:27

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appoints Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in Ramallah, in the West Bank March 14, 2024 (photo credit: VIA REUTERS) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appoints Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in Ramallah, in the West Bank March 14, 2024

(photo credit: VIA REUTERS)

While the UN General Assembly does not have the enforcement power of the Security Council, the Palestinians view this as a critical step in their ongoing campaign against Israel.

The Palestinian leadership is preparing a strategic move at the United Nations General Assembly, aiming to pass a resolution that would formally declare Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law. According to a report by the N12 news site, this initiative, which reflects a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is part of a broader effort to challenge Israel’s presence in the occupied territories.

According to N12, the Palestinians have been working behind the scenes at the UN, circulating draft resolutions among member states with the goal of confronting Israel at the start of the General Assembly on September 10. Israeli officials believe the Palestinians will push for a resolution that aligns with the ICJ’s decision, which deemed the settlements illegal and called for an immediate end to Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, the report said.

It added that the Palestinian proposal has two key components. The first is to adopt all of the ICJ’s decisions and set a clear timeline for what they described as the “end of the occupation.” The ICJ has stated that this should occur “as soon as possible,” so the Palestinians are seeking to establish a specific time frame for such an eventuality.

Judges arrive at the International Court of Justice at the start of a hearing where South Africa requests new emergency measures over Israel's attacks on Rafah, as part of an ongoing case South Africa filed at the ICJ in December last year, The Hague, Netherlands May 17, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/YVES HERMAN)

Secondly, they are looking to ensure that each country addresses activities beyond the Green Line separately, in an organized and institutionalized manner. This would effectively place all settlements on a unified blacklist.

How do Palestinians perceive the UN's decisions?

While the UN General Assembly does not have the enforcement power of the Security Council, the Palestinians view this as a critical step in their ongoing campaign against Israel. As noted by N12, “the Palestinians continue their activities against Israel in international institutions and are working to ensure that the upcoming session focuses much less on Ukraine, for example, and much more on Israel.”

Israeli officials have expressed concern over this move, N12 further noted, remarking that despite the punitive measures imposed by the Israeli cabinet, the Palestinians remained undeterred in their diplomatic efforts.

This upcoming session of the General Assembly could see a significant shift in focus towards Israel, further complicating the already tense relations between the two sides.