General Assembly demands end to violence in occupied Palestinian territory
23 October -- Condemning the recent violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, the United Nations General Assembly has demanded an end to the use of force and urged all parties to implement the understandings they reached at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt.
The call came in a resolution adopted late Friday evening by a vote of 92 in favour to 6 against with 46 abstentions. The vote culminated two days of meeting at the Assembly's resumed tenth emergency special session on illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Over 50 countries took part in the debate, during the resumed session, which also heard Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report on his recent trip to the region.
By its resolution, the Assembly specifically condemned the violence that had taken place since 28 September at Al-Haram Al-Sharif and other holy places in Jerusalem, as well as in other areas of the occupied Palestinian territory. Noting that the violence had resulted in more than 100 deaths - the vast majority of them Palestinian civilians - the Assembly condemned all acts of violence, "especially the excessive use of force by the Israeli forces."
The Assembly also demanded an immediate end to the violence and use of force, calling on the parties to "reverse all measures taken in this regard since 28 September." Acknowledging that necessary steps had been taken in that direction since the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, the Assembly expressed support for the understandings reached in Egypt and urged all parties to implement them "honestly and without delay." In particular, the Assembly referred to the summit's understanding regarding a committee of fact-finding and called for its establishment without delay.
By other provisions of the resolution, the Assembly reiterated that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, were illegal and an obstacle to peace, and called for the prevention of illegal acts of violence by Israeli settlers. In addition, the resolution demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and its responsibilities under the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in times of war.
Supporting efforts towards the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations within the Middle East peace process "on its agreed basis," the Assembly called for the "speedy conclusion" of the final settlement agreement between the two sides.
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