Israel said it would respond accordingly, and the UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding withdrawal from Palestinian territory
According to a report by Russian News Agency on September 18, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution demanding Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories. The resolution was passed with 124 votes in favor, 14 votes against, and 43 abstentions. Unlike the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the resolutions of the UN General Assembly have no legal effect.
The document adopted by the General Assembly was based on an advisory opinion provided by the International Court of Justice, which found that Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territories was illegal. The International Court of Justice ruled that Israel should withdraw from the territories, stop settlement activities and pay compensation for the damage caused.
The General Assembly welcomed the ICJ's ruling and "demanded that Israel immediately end its illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory", setting a deadline of 12 months for this.
The resolution also calls on Israel to "promptly fulfil all its legal obligations under international law, including those imposed by the International Court of Justice," including withdrawing all its forces from the occupied Palestinian territories and ceasing settlement activities, the report added.
In addition, the resolution requires Israel to compensate for the losses caused by the illegal occupation, return the seized land, real estate and assets, and allow Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their homes.
The General Assembly called on "all States" not to provide aid or assistance in "maintaining the situation created by Israel's illegal presence" and called on all countries to "take measures to stop the import of all goods produced in Israeli settlements and to stop the supply or transfer of weapons, ammunition and related materiel that could be used in Israel."
According to a report by TASS on September 18, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that the UN General Assembly resolution distorts facts and is divorced from reality, encourages terrorism and undermines opportunities for peace. It also believes that the resolution is a "stupid performance" and that the General Assembly itself is a "political theater."
Israel's Foreign Ministry said that the document adopted by the UN General Assembly "tells the world a one-sided, fictional story in which the countless bloody terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens did not happen."
Israel also stated that the UN resolution "undermines the basis for any attempt to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict" and "violates the basic principle of all peace agreements and solutions reached so far between Israel and its neighbors, namely that the conflict can only be resolved through direct negotiations between the two sides."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted: "Israel will respond accordingly."