UN adopts five anti-Israel resolutions

Dec 3, 2020

The UN General Assembly adopted yesterday five anti-Israel resolutions, which are part of a package of 20 pro-Palestinian texts approved annually each December with a significant UN majority. One of the texts condemns Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and is against any annexation plans, a second text condemns Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, and the remaining three are related to the work of UN committees on the Palestinian issue and Palestinian refugees.

Ahead of the vote, Israel’s envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan lambasted UN members for targeting Israel only, reminding the plenum that no other country has so many resolutions leveled against it as Israel. Erdan also chastised UN members for ignoring the great developments on the normalization of diplomatic ties with Gulf states.

Erdan tweeted, “The UN’s display of hypocrisy continues this afternoon, as the General Assembly continues to debate the so-called ‘question of Palestine’ resolutions which are all one-sided, all blame Israel and are all detached from reality.”

Still, Israel considered the vote a partial achievement. After the vote, Erdan noted that all texts were approved this year with less support than in 2019. Four of the five resolutions were approved with the support of less than half of the 193-member plenum, as several countries chose this year to abstain. Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and the United States supported Israel on all five texts. Brazil either voted with Israel or abstained.

“Countries that supported Israel today have understood that this package of resolutions does nothing to forward peace but serves instead to entrench the Palestinian’s rejectionist position and deepen the conflict,” said Erdan.

On Nov. 5, the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly voted in favor of seven anti-Israeli resolutions.

Before yesterday’s vote, a Jordanian representative told the plenum that Israel must maintain the status quo at the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif) compound. The representative blamed Israel for attempting to impose a fait accompli on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem.

Also speaking at the plenum, Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour demanded that the international community hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and stick to the two-state solution. Mansour also called for a boycott of Israeli settlement products.

The statement by Mansour came as Industry and Tourism Minister of Bahrain Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani visits Israel on a three-day trip, accompanied by a large delegation of businesspeople. Zayani announced that Israeli imported products produced by West Bank settlements, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights could be labeled “Made in Israel” in Bahrain.