Alwaght- The UN General Assembly passed a none-binding resolution calling on Israeli to vacate Syria's Golan Heights, occupied by the regime in 1967.
Passed in a 91-65 vote with 9 abstentions on Tuesday, the resolution called on Tel Aviv to abandon the Golan after over 50 years of occupation, insisting that nations may not acquire territory by conquest, a core principle of international law, Russia Today reported.
“The continued occupation of the Syrian Golan and its de facto annexation constitute a stumbling block in the way of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region,” the resolution said, urging that “Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan.”
The rebuke comes months after US President Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, reversing longstanding American policy and contradicting a number of previous UN resolutions condemning Israel’s presence in the territory. In another more recent about-face, Washington also rubberstamped Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which have also been the subject of past UN measures.
In addition to the Golan resolution, the General Assembly passed four other measures related to Israel on Tuesday, one urging “respect for, and the preservation of” occupied Palestinian lands – including the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem )– and reaffirming the “illegality of Israeli settlement activities.” The other resolutions recognized the work of UN departments devoted to Palestine issues, and requested the continuation of a “special program” to disseminate information on Palestine and related UN decisions. The United States voted against all five measures in tandem with Tel Aviv.
Unlike resolutions passed in the UN Security Council, which are legally-binding, the General Assembly has no power to enforce its measures, making Tuesday’s adoptions largely symbolic. But they may nevertheless underscore growing international opposition to Israel’s decades-long occupation and settlement project.
During its war with Egypt in 1967, Israeli regime occupied Sinai and Gaza – both held by Egypt at the time – annexed the West Bank from Jordan, occupied the Golan Heights from Syria, and occupied East al-Quds, tripling the country’s size in a matter of days. To date, Israeli regime has only vested control of Sinai and continues to occupy the other territories.
