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Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York General Assembly Plenary Tenth Emergency Special Session 28th & 29th Meetings (AM, PM & Night) http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/ga10534.doc.htm BY WIDE MARGIN, GENERAL ASSEMBLY EMERGENCY SESSION ADOPTS TEXT DEPLORING ISRAELI MILITARY ACTIONS IN GAZA, CALLING FOR DISPATCH OF UN MISSION TO BEIT HANOUN Text of Resolution United Nations A/ES-10/L.19 General Assembly Distr.: Limited 15 November 2006 Original: English http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/N06/616/32/PDF/N0661632.pdf?OpenElement 06-61632 (E) 151106 *0661632* Tenth emergency special session Agenda item 5 Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Palestine: draft resolution Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory The General Assembly, Recalling its relevant resolutions, including resolutions of the tenth emergency special session, Reaffirming Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 446 (1979), 1322 (2000), 1397 (2002), 1402 (2002), 1403 (2002), 1405 (2002), 1435 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1544 (2004), Reaffirming also the applicable rules and principles of international law, including humanitarian and human rights laws, in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,1 in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, Expressing grave concern at the continued deterioration of the situation on the ground in the Palestinian Territory occupied by Israel since 1967 during the recent period, particularly as a result of the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force by Israel, the occupying Power, which has caused extensive loss of civilian Palestinian life and injuries, including among children and women, Condemning the military assaults being carried out by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Gaza Strip, which have caused loss of life and extensive destruction of Palestinian property and vital infrastructure, Condemning in particular the killing of many Palestinian civilians, including children and women, by Israel, the occupying Power, that took place in Beit Hanoun on 8 November 2006, Emphasizing the importance of the safety and well-being of all civilians and condemning all attacks against civilians on both sides, 1. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to immediately cease its military assaults against the Palestinian civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to immediately withdraw its forces from within the Gaza Strip to positions held prior to 28 June 2006; 2. Demands the immediate cessation of military incursions and all acts of violence, terror, provocation, incitement and destruction between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, including extrajudicial executions, bombardment against Palestinian civilian areas, air raids and firing of rockets, as was agreed in the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings of 8 February 2005; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to establish a fact-finding mission on the attack that took place in Beit Hanoun on 8 November 2006 and to report thereon to the General Assembly within thirty days; 4. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to scrupulously abide by its obligations and responsibilities under the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,1 in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem; 5. Emphasizes the need to preserve Palestinian institutions, infrastructure and properties; 6. Expresses grave concern about the dire humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people, and calls for the provision of emergency assistance to them; 7. Emphasizes the urgency of ensuring that medical and humanitarian organizations are granted unhindered access to the Palestinian civilian population at all times and of allowing the severely injured a speedy exit outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory for needed treatment; 8. Calls upon the international community, including the Quartet, to take immediate steps to stabilize the situation and restart the peace process, including through the establishment of an international mechanism for the protection of civilian populations; 9. Calls upon the parties, with the support of the international community, to take immediate steps, including confidence-building measures, towards the objective of resuming peace negotiations; 10. Stresses the importance of and the need to achieve a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003), the Madrid terms of reference, the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative adopted by the League of Arab States at its fourteenth session, held in Beirut on 27 and 28 March 2002,2 and the road map;3 11. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the present resolution in a timely manner; 12. Decides to adjourn the tenth emergency special session temporarily and to authorize the President of the General Assembly at its most recent session to resume its meeting upon request from Member States. __________________ 1 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973. 2 A/56/1026-S/2002/932, annex II, resolution 14/221. 3 S/2003/529, annex. ... JOHN BOLTON ( United States) said he would request a recorded vote against a resolution that only exacerbated tensions by serving the interests of elements hostile to Israel's inalienable and acknowledged right to exist. Just yesterday, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) had passed a resolution stressing the need to avoid country-specific human rights resolutions. With resolutions such as that, the United Nations contributed to the conclusion that the Organization was incapable of playing a helpful role in the region. He said that the challenge of advancing towards the vision of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security, required serious and determined efforts by the parties and the constructive support of countries in the region and the international community. Regrettably, he continued to see little in the way of constructive support for genuine efforts to move towards the two-State goal. However, in a larger sense, the United Nations must confront a more significant question -- that of its relevance and utility in confronting the vast array of global challenges in the twenty-first century. The United Nations was ill-served when its members sought to transform the Organization into a forum that was little more than a "self-serving and polemical attack against Israel or the United States", he said. Moreover, the nature of group dynamics in the United Nations was "seriously hampering" the principles on which the Organization was founded. While there were many who would prefer to see improved cooperation, a more effective General Assembly and relevance of its actions to the real world, the resolution before it was "another example of moderate elements being held hostage by a few extreme States or those whose parochial political agendas distort the ostensible purpose of this and other resolutions", he said. He said that, since its inception earlier this year, the Human Rights Council had quickly "fallen into the same trap and delegitimized itself" by focusing attention almost exclusively on Israel. It had failed to address real human rights abuses in Burma, Darfur, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and other countries. "Sadly, the Human Rights Council appears to be developing into an organ that is worse on this score than it predecessor," he said. The problem of anti-Israel was not unique to the Human Rights Council; it was endemic to the culture of the United Nations, he said. It was a decades-old, systemic problem that permeated the whole panoply of United Nations organizations and agencies. Beyond the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, the sponsors of today's resolution had diverted the efforts of non-political United Nations bodies, such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Postal Union and the International Labour Organization, with one-sided polemics irrelevant and harmful to the non-political mandates of those agencies, and unhelpful to the cause of the Palestinian people and regional peace. Those efforts served only to erode the United Nations' credibility and undermine the goal of resolving the underlying conflict. He warned that the consequences of that persistent, unconstructive, biased approach were painfully clear -- not one single Palestinian was helped, and the United Nations continued to be discredited by its inability to confront the serious challenge of the Israel-Palestinian conflict in a serious, responsible manner. Member States must choose: did they desire a viable United Nations system composed of agencies respected for their role in conflict resolution, human rights, economic development, education and culture, or would it continue to acquiesce to a narrow agenda of bias, stalemate and polemics? Member States must demonstrate the will to break with the past and make the United Nations a relevant voice, not only for the Israel-Palestinian conflict, but for other conflicts and issues worldwide, he declared. ANNEX Vote on Draft Resolution on Illegal Israeli Actions The draft resolution on illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (document A/ES-10/L.19) was adopted by a recorded vote of 156 in favour to 7 against, with 6 abstentions, as follows: In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Against: Australia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, United States. Abstain: Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Absent: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Grenada, Honduras, Kiribati, Liberia, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, Uganda. * *** * IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis Website: www.imra.org.il |
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