President Javier Milei’s government on Wednesday refused to back a United Nations resolution calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Underlining the shift in Argentina’s voting record at the UN under the Milei government, the nation joined 13 others in voting against a non-binding resolution.
The text of the resolution, which Israel said would fuel violence if adopted, is based on an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice calling Israel's occupation since 1967 "unlawful."
In total, there were 124 votes in favour, 14 against and a notable 43 abstentions.
In a speech, Argentina’s UN Ambassador Ricardo Lagorio said Buenos Aires voted against the resolution for several reasons, though he said that the Milei government is still committed to a “just and definitive peace.”
“This nay vote does not in any way mean that Argentina is no longer committed to a just and definitive peace to the Israel-Palestine conflict in conformity with international law and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations,” said the UN envoy.
The resolution adopted goes beyond what has been established in the advisory opinion, he argued, voicing strong support for a ceasefire to the war in Gaza.
“Only by resuming a process of dialogue based on the two-state solution, living side-by-side in peace and security with secure and internationally recognised borders, will it be possible to achieve a lasting peace,” he concluded.
Special session
Arab countries called the special session of the assembly just days before dozens of heads of state and government meet at the UN headquarters to address the kick off of this year's General Assembly.
The resolution "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 a timeline of only six months.
"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 behaviour," said Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour on Monday.
Israel firmly rejected the resolution. "This is a shameful decision that backs the Palestinian Authority's diplomatic terrorism," said Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon.
"Instead of marking the anniversary of the October 7 massacre by condemning Hamas and calling for the release of all 101 of the remaining hostages, the General Assembly continues to dance to the music of the Palestinian Authority, which backs the Hamas murderers," he said.
Withdrawal of Israeli forces
The resolution "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.
It also calls on states "to take steps toward ceasing" arms provisions to Israel when there are "reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."
"The Palestinians want to live – not survive. They want to be safe in their homes," said Mansour Tuesday ahead of the passage of 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.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield condemned the resolution ahead of the vote as "inflammatory" and said it "is not going to advance the cause of peace."
"It also fails to acknowledge, among other things, that Hamas, a terrorist organisation, is currently exerting power, control and influence in Gaza," Thomas-Greenfield added.
The United States voted against the resolution.
While the Security Council is largely paralysed 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.
Unlike in the Security Council, no country in the General Assembly has veto power.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity.
Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 97 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 33 who the Israeli military says are dead.
More than 41,272 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The UN has acknowledged these figures as reliable.
According to the Israeli military 348 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza military campaign since the start of the ground offensive on October 27.
– TIMES/AFP
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