NEW DELHI: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday passed a Palestinian-backed resolution urging Israel to withdraw from "its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" within a year.
The resolution was supported by 124 countries, while 43 (including India) abstained and 14 (including Israel and the United States) voted against it.
Besides India, others who abstained included the United Kingdom, Swizerland, Sweden, Nepal, Netherlands, Germany, Australia and Denmark. Those who voted in favour included Russia, Bhutan, China, Finland, Japan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are scheduled to address the UNGA in New York later this month.
In July, an advisory from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel's occupation and settlements in Palestinian territories as 'illegal' and called for a swift withdrawal.
Meanwhile, the resolution also urges countries to stop import of goods from Israeli settlements and suspend arms transfers to Israel if they suspect them to be used in the occupied territories.
Even though UNGA resolutions are not binding, they do carry significant influence.
While US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield had urged nations to vote against the resolution, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, advocating for the resolution, told the assembly, "Please stand on the right side of history. With international law. With freedom. With peace."
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon condemned the General Assembly’s actions, stating that it failed to address Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and called the Palestinian resolution as "diplomatic terrorism."
Since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, nearly 41000 people have lost their lives in Gaza.