UN General Assembly debates call for end to Israeli occupation

UNITED NATIONS, United States — UN member states debated Tuesday a push by the Palestinians to formally demand an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months.

The text, which has faced fierce criticism from Israel, is based around an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice calling Israel's occupation since 1967 "unlawful."

"Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible," read the opinion, requested by the General Assembly. 

In response, Arab countries called for a special session of the assembly just days before dozens of heads of state and government descend on the UN headquarters this month to address the kick off of this year's General Assembly session.

"The idea is you want to use the pressure of the international community in the General Assembly and the pressure of the historic ruling by the ICJ to force Israel to change its behavior," said Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour Monday, acknowledging the draft resolution had "shocked many countries."

The draft resolution, due to be voted on late Tuesday or Wednesday, "demands that Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," and that this be done "no later than 12 months from the adoption." 

The first draft text gave only six months.

Israel firmly rejected the resolution on Tuesday.

"We gather here to watch the Palestinians' UN circus -- a circus where evil is righteous, war is peace, murder is justified," said Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon.

"How dare you continue this tradition of passing one-sided resolutions against Israel."

'Safe in their homes' 

The draft resolution -- which would be non-binding -- also "demands" the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territories, a halt to new settlements, the return of seized land and property, and the possibility of return for displaced Palestinians.

A paragraph calling on member states to halt arms exports to Israel disappeared from the draft text during negotiations, however.

"The Palestinians want to live -- not survive. They want to be safe in their homes," said Mansour Tuesday, kicking off the debate on the first resolution ever introduced by the Palestinians.

"How many more Palestinians need to be killed before change finally takes place to stop this inhumanity?"

The ICJ opinion was "a historic opinion as this was the first time the court examined the Israeli occupation as a whole," Mansour said.

While the Security Council is largely paralyzed on the Gaza issue -- with the United States repeatedly vetoing censures of its ally Israel -- the General Assembly has adopted several texts in support of Palestinian civilians amid the current war.

In May the assembly overwhelmingly supported a largely symbolic resolution on full Palestinian membership of the UN, garnering 143 votes in favor, nine against with 25 abstentions.

The push had previously been vetoed by Washington at the Security Council.