- Resolutions on Israel: 21
- Resolution on Rest of the World: 6
In the current 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (2018-2019), all EU member states voted for one resolution each to criticize (1) Iran, (2) Syria, (3) North Korea, (4) Crimea, (5) Myanmar, and (6) the U.S., for its embargo on Cuba. See second table at bottom, showing these six resolution texts and votes.
By contrast, EU states voted for 16 out of 21 resolutions singling out Israel. Yet these same EU states failed to introduce a single UNGA resolution on the human rights situation in China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Cuba, Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, Algeria, or on 175 other countries.
Below are the resolutions on Israel that have been adopted in the 73rd Session (2018-2019) of the UN General Assembly.
RESOLUTIONS SINGLING OUT ISRAEL
| RESOLUTION | EXTRACTS | ANALYSIS |
| “Assistance to Palestine refugees” [A/C.4/73/L.14]
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Expressing grave concern at the especially difficult situation of the Palestine refugees under occupation, including with regard to their safety, well-being and socioeconomic living conditions…” | Resolution serves Arab states that seek to preserve Palestinians as pawns in political campaign to delegitimize Israel. Intent and effect of singling out Palestinian from all refugee claims in the world is to isolate and demonize Israel. Omits any reference to Lebanon’s discrimination against Palestinian refugees in that country. Redundant to three other resolutions adopted on same day (see in this chart) dealing with refugees and UNRWA. |
| “Persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities” [A/C.4/73/L.15]
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Reaffirms the right of all persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities to return to their homes or former places of residence in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967…” | Resolution is redundant to other resolutions adopted on same day (see in this chart) dealing with refugees and UNRWA. Purpose and effect are to single out Israel for censure. |
| “Operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East” [A/C.4/73/L.16]
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Calling upon Israel to ensure the expedited and unimpeded import of all necessary construction materials into the Gaza Strip and to reduce the burdensome cost of importation of Agency supplies…” | Perpetuates anomaly whereby Palestinians are the only people not served by UNHCR but instead by special agency. Resolution makes one-sided condemnations of Israeli actions, but silent on Palestinian terrorism against Israelis and abuses of Palestinian forces against their own citizens. Ignores UNRWA admission that members of Hamas, a terrorist organization, were on its payroll. |
| “Palestine refugees’ properties and their revenues” [A/C.4/73/L.17]
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Reaffirms that the Palestine refugees are entitled to their property and to the income derived therefrom, in conformity with the principles of equity and justice…” | One-sided resolution ignores claims of 900,000 Jewish refugees displaced from Arab lands. Repeats statements previously established for purpose of censuring Israel and is redundant to other resolutions. Prejudges negotiations. |
| “Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories” [A/C.4/73/L.18]:
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Deplores those policies and practices of Israel that violate the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories, as reflected in the report of the Special Committee covering the reporting period…” | Perpetuates committee with blatantly biased mandate of examining only Israeli actions, but ignoring Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah terrorism. Welcomes election of Hamas. Contrary to international law and resolution 242, claims that occupation is itself a violation. History of 2000 events censors out suicide bombings in Israeli restaurants and civilian areas. |
| “Applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the other occupied Arab territories” [A/C.4/73/L.19]
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Demands that Israel accept the de jure applicability of the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, and that it comply scrupulously with the provisions of the Convention…” | One-sided demands on Israel only. Ignores systematic violation of international humanitarian law by Hamas government, granting impunity to Palestinian firing of Kassam missiles on Israeli cities and other terrorist attacks. |
| “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan” [A/C.4/73/L.20]
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Reaffirms that the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan are illegal and an obstacle to peace and economic and social development…” | Adopts Palestinian position on issues that Oslo Accords left to negotiations. Deliberately downplays Israel’s concession of forcibly evacuating 10,000 Israelis from their homes in Gaza. Israel treated with disdain in comparison to praise and deference to governments shown by UN resolutions on Sudan and Myanmar. |
| “Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem” [A/C.4/73/L.21]
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Gravely concerned by the tensions and violence in the recent period throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and including with regard to the holy places of Jerusalem, including the Haram al-Sharif, and deploring the loss of innocent civilian life…” | Ignores the 2015-2016 wave of terror attacks against Israeli civilians within Israel, referring to it only as “tensions and violence” in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory.” This negates the numerous deadly attacks that occurred in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities. It also seeks to strip Israel of its inherent right to self-defense by classifying every defensive measure as a violation of international law. Additionally, it refers to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem only by its Islamic name, “Haram al-Sharif.” |
| “The occupied Syrian Golan” [A/C.4/73/L.22]
4th Cttee Vote: |
“Determines that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken or to be taken by Israel, the occupying Power, that purport to alter the character and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan are null and void…” | Ignores the existence of the Syrian Civil War and its security implications for Israel and the civilians of the Golan Heights. Also ignores Syria’s history of shelling Israeli communities, its leader’s calls for a “war of annihilation” against Israel, and Syria’s 1967 aggression that led to its loss of the territory. Also neglects Syria’s sponsorship of the enemies of the peace process, and its support for terrorism. |
| “The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East” [A/C.1/73/L.2]
1st Cttee Vote: |
“Recalling that Israel remains the only State in the Middle East that has not yet become a party to the Treaty…” | Resolution singles out Israel while ignoring menacing actions of other states, including Iran’s illegal efforts to acquire nuclear weapons in defiance of Security Council and IAEA resolutions. Ignores overt and repeated threats against the existence of Israel by neighboring states in the region. |
| “Oil slick on Lebanese shores” [A/C.2/73/L.13]
2nd Cttee Vote: |
“Reiterates, for the thirteenth consecutive year, its deep concern about the adverse implications of the destruction by the Israeli Air Force of the oil storage tanks in the direct vicinity of the Lebanese Jiyeh electric power plant for the achievement of sustainable development in Lebanon…” | One-sided resolution completely ignores Hezbollah’s role in launching hostilities, firing 4,000 rockets and burning 500,000 trees in Northern Israel. Ignores Lebanon’s non-compliance with SC Resolutions on dismantling Hezbollah. Singles out Israel as only country to be censured under Sustainable Development agenda item. |
| “Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources” [A/C.2/73/L.37]
2nd Cttee Vote: |
“Expressing its grave concern also about the widespread destruction caused by Israel, the occupying Power, to vital infrastructure, including water pipelines, sewage networks and electricity networks, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory…” | One-sided resolution denies Israel’s right to self-defense by describing every preventative measure as conspiracy against Palestinian resources. Omits mention of Palestinian terrorism or any Palestinian obligation. Also omits Palestinian destruction of Gaza greenhouses delivered intact by Israel, or Hamas’ commandeering of international aid money to fund the construction of terror tunnels rather than to rebuild destroyed infrastructure. |
| “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” [A/C.3/73/L.29]
3rd Cttee Vote: |
“Recalling the conclusion of the Court, in its advisory opinion of 9 July 2004, that the construction of the wall by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, along with measures previously taken, severely impedes the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination…” | Redundantly asserts a principle that Israel has already recognized. Out of hundreds of self-determination claims worldwide, resolution singles out one: the claim against Israel. Omits Palestinian obligation under the Road Map to dismantle terrorist infrastructure before a state is to be created. |
| “Assistance to the Palestinian people”
Plenary Vote: |
“Aware that development is difficult under occupation and is best promoted in circumstances of peace and stability,
Noting the great economic and social challenges facing the Palestinian people and their leadership…” |
This resolution is more balanced when compared to the other 20. However, its references to the difficulty of occupation for Palestinians indirectly implicates Israel. No other occupied or disputed territory throughout the world receives an annual resolution of this type, making it uniquely critical of Israel. This resolution is typically passed by consensus, without a vote. |
| “Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People” [A/73/L.31]
Plenary Vote: |
“Noting with deep regret the passage of 51 years since the onset of the Israeli occupation and over 70 years since the adoption of resolution 181 (II) on 29 November 1947 and the Nakba without tangible progress towards a peaceful solution…” | Biased committee is one of the veteran pillars of the UN’s anti-Israel infrastructure. It is the only GA human rights committee devoted to a single cause. Its reports systematically turn a blind eye to Palestinian terrorism against Israeli civilians. Committee’s mandate concerns Israeli actions only and is inherently prejudiced and one-sided. |
| “Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat” [A/73/L.34]
Plenary Vote: |
“Requests the Division, in particular, to continue to monitor developments relevant to the question of Palestine, to organize international meetings and activities in support of the Committee’s mandate … to liaise and cooperate with civil society and parliamentarians, including through the Working Group of the Committee, to develop and expand the ‘Question of Palestine’ website…” | The DPR serves the biased special committee and is dedicated to spreading anti-Israel propaganda the world over. Its 16-member staff is grossly disproportionate to the UN’s other four divisions which cover enormous geographical regions. The DPR’s work is counter-productive to the peace process and seeks to coordinate international boycotts against Israel instead of seeking bridges for peace. Excludes from its events any NGO that declines to swear fealty to its hardline politics. |
| “Special information program on the question of Palestine of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat” [A/73/L.33]
Plenary Vote: |
“Recalling the advisory opinion rendered on 9 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory…” | The program is one more example of how the neutral UN secretariat is forcibly co-opted by the anti-Israeli forces at the UN. The program eschews a balanced approach by overtly choosing the Palestinian over Israeli narrative, ignoring terrorism against Israeli men, women and children, and other daily realities of Israeli life. Resources devoted to anti-Israel propaganda are taken away from other worthy causes. |
| “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” [A/73/L.32]
Plenary Vote: |
“Expressing grave concern about tensions, provocations and incitement regarding the holy places of Jerusalem, including the Haram al-Sharif, and urging restraint and respect for the sanctity of the holy sites by all sides…” | Blames Israel only for lack of peace. Expresses “concern” that 71 years have passed since the 1947 partition plan, suggesting Israel is at fault when it was the Arab states and Palestinian Arab leaders who uniformly rejected that resolution and initiated hostilities the day after its adoption. Text is redundant to several other resolutions and serves no effect other than demonization. References to terror fail to name its perpetrators, whereas Israel is named and blamed throughout. Uses only the Islamic term “Haram al-Sharif” when referring to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, ignoring Jewish and Christian religion and history. |
| “Jerusalem” [A/73/L.29]
Plenary Vote: |
“Expressing its grave concern, in particular, about tensions, provocations and incitement regarding the holy places of Jerusalem, including the Haram al-Sharif, and urging restraint and respect for the sanctity of the holy sites by all sides…” | Implies that Israeli administration of Jerusalem hinders freedom of religion when in fact the opposite is true—before 1967, Jordan destroyed Jewish holy sites and denied access to Jews, while under Israel all faiths have access to the city and enjoy full freedoms. Uses of uniformly harsh language against Israel that is not used even against regimes like Iran. Repeated passage of annual resolution to address acts from 1980, or matters already covered in other similar resolutions, serve no purpose other than demonization. Uses only the Islamic term “Haram al-Sharif” to describe Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, ignoring Jewish and Christian religion and history. |
| “The Syrian Golan” [L/73/L.30]
Plenary Vote: |
“Deeply concerned that Israel has not withdrawn from the Syrian Golan, which has been under occupation since 1967…” | Redundant to A/C.4/73/L.22 on “the Occupied Syrian Golan.” Oblivious to genocidal massacres taking place now in Syria and its security implications for Israel and the civilians of the Golan Heights. Ignores Syria’s history of shelling Israeli communities, its leader’s calls for a “war of annihilation” against Israel, and Syria’s 1967 aggression that led to its loss of the territory. |
| “Comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East” [A/73/L.49]
Plenary Vote: |
“Reiterates its call for.. and an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967, including of East Jerusalem…” | Cites UN Security Council resolution 2334, which condemns Israel for occupying the Western Wall, and calls for “an end to Israeli occupation” without making any demands of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas or Islamic Jihad to stop inciting, funding or perpetrating terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, such as those that recently targeted a pregnant mother, killing her child. |
| Resolutions on Rest of the World | |||
| A/C.3/73/L.40* | Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | Main Sponsors: Austria on behalf of the EU, and Japan | Adopted 49th Mtg 15 Nov |
| A/C.3/73/L.42 | Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran | Main Sponsor: Canada | Adopted by Vote: 85-30-68 49th Mtg 15 Nov |
| A/C.3/73/L.48 | Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine | Main Sponsor: Ukraine | Adopted by Vote: 67-26-82 49th Mtg 15 Nov |
| A/C.3/73/L.50 | Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic | Main Sponsor: Saudi Arabia | Adopted by Vote: 106-16-58 50th Mtg 16 Nov |
| A/RES/73/8 | Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba | Main Sponsor: Cuba | Adopted by Vote: 189-2-0 A/73/PV.30 1 November 2018 GA/12086 |
| A/C.3/73/L.51* | Situation of human rights in Myanmar | Main Sponsors: Bangladesh on behalf of the OIC, and Austria on behalf of the EU | Adopted by Vote: 142-10-26 50th Mtg 16 Nov |
Compare UN resolutions on Israel vs. the rest of the world from the previous year here.
