Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan

Condemnatory

Yes

Analysis

• The resolution harshly condemns all Israeli settlement activities and demands "Israel, the occupying Power," cease such activities. In that regard, it endorses the July 19, 2024 ICJ advisory opinion deeming Israel's occupation "unlawful" and demanding Israel unilaterally withdraw from the Occupied Palestinian Territories as soon as possible.
• Furthermore, the resolution reiterates the call for discriminatory economic treatment of Israel on account of its settlement policies. The unbalanced text ignores Palestinian rejectionism, terrorism, and other violations and blames Israel exclusively for the lack of peace. It also contains false allegations designed to portray Israel as an inherently racist enterprise—an antisemitic charge reminiscent of the UNGA’s repealed "Zionism is racism" resolution. These false allegations include the claim that there is a "system of segregated roads for the exclusive use of Israeli settlers" – bypass roads, a security measure against Palestinian terrorism, are open to all Israeli citizens regardless of race. Another false charge in the resolution concerns the "application of a two-tier legal system” – the legal regime in place in the West Bank complies with international law and was agreed to by the parties in the Oslo Accords.
• The resolution also reiterates its expansion of the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Israel to identify individual Israeli settlers and settler groups who engage in violence and harassment of Palestinians, but there is no request for this Commission to report on the activity of Palestinian terrorists or terrorist groups who routinely attack Israelis.
• Moreover, the resolution was adopted under Item 7, the discriminatory Agenda Item which singles out Israel for censure, signaling criticism of Israel.

Main Sponsors

Organization of Islamic Cooperation, A/HRC/RES/58/28

Vote

Yes - 34, No - 3, Abstain - 10, Absent - 0

See Full Vote

Key Praise

None

Key Criticism

• "Expressing grave concern at the continuing construction by Israel of its illegal settlements and the illegal wall inside the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, in violation of international law..."
• "Deploring in particular the construction and expansion of settlements by Israel in and around occupied East Jerusalem, including its so-called E-1 plan..."
• "Expressing grave concern about all acts of terror, violence, destruction, harassment, provocation and incitement by extremist Israeli settlers and groups of armed settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, against Palestinian civilians..."
• "Acknowledging that numerous Israeli policies and practices relating to settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, amount to blatant discrimination, including through the creation of a system privileging Israeli settlements and settlers against the Palestinian people, and in violation of their human rights."
• "Expressing concern that economic activities, including the production and trade of settlement goods, facilitate the expansion and entrenchment of settlements, thus strengthening and perpetuating the Israeli occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem."
• "Reaffirms that the Israeli settlements established since 1967 in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan are illegal under international law, and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution..."
• "Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, immediately cease all settlement activities, without preconditions, in all the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan..."
• "Also demands that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with its legal obligations, as mentioned in the advisory opinions rendered on 9 July 2004 and 19 July 2024 by the International Court of Justice, and all relevant resolutions, including General Assembly resolution ES-10/24, including to bring to an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as rapidly as possible..."
• "Condemns the continuing settlement and related activities by Israel, including the transfer of its nationals into the occupied territory, the construction and expansion of settlements, the expropriation and de facto annexation of land..."
• "Expresses its grave concern at and calls for the cessation of: (a) The conduct of economic activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, for the benefit of the settlement enterprise and associated activities…"
• "Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power (a) To end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem... (b) To put an end to all of the human rights violations linked to the presence of settlements... (c) To take immediate measures to prohibit and eradicate all policies and practices that discriminate against and disproportionately affect the Palestinian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, by, inter alia, putting an end to the system of segregated roads for the exclusive use of Israeli settlers, who reside illegally in the said territory..."
• "Reiterates its request to the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel...to prepare a report on the identities of settlers, as well as settler groups and their members, that have engaged in or continue to engage in acts of, violence, intimidation, harassment or terror against Palestinian civilians…"