Oil Slick on Lebanese Shores
Year
2023
UN Body
General Assembly
Session
78
Session Type
GA Regular
Symbol
Agenda Item
18
Country Concerned
Israel
Condemnatory
Yes
Analysis
- This one-sided resolution criticizes Israel for creating an environmental disaster in Lebanon by bombing Lebanese oil tanks in its summer 2006 war with Lebanon and calls on Israel to compensate Lebanon and other affected countries. At the same time, the resolution completely ignores Hezbollah's role in launching hostilities, firing 4,000 rockets and burning 500,000 trees in Northern Israel. It further ignores Lebanon's non-compliance with Security Council resolutions on dismantling Hezbollah and singles out Israel as the only country to be censured under the Sustainable Development agenda item.
Main Sponsors
Group of 77 and China
Vote
Yes - 164, No - 7, Abstain - 6, Absent - 16
Key Praise
None
Key Criticism
- "Noting with great concern the environmental disaster caused by the destruction by the Israeli Air Force on 15 July 2006 of the oil storage tanks in the direct vicinity of Jiyah electric power plant in Lebanon, resulting in an oil slick that covered the entirety of the Lebanese coastline, extended to the Syrian coastline and hindered efforts to achieve sustainable development..."
- "Noting that the Secretary-General expressed grave concern at the lack of any acknowledgement on the part of the Government of Israel of its responsibilities vis-a-vis reparations and compensation to the Government and people of Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic affected by the oil spill."
- "Reiterates its request in this regard to the Government of Israel to assume responsibility for prompt and adequate compensation to the Government of Lebanon for the aforementioned damage and to other countries directly affected by the oil slick, such as the Syrian Arab Republic, whose shores have been partially polluted..."
Full Vote
-
Yes164
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Cambodia
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Congo
- Costa Rica
- Ivory Coast
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- North Korea
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
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- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- South Korea
- Moldova
- Romania
- Russia
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- East Timor
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Tuvalu
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- Tanzania
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
-
No7
- Australia
- Canada
- Israel
- Micronesia
- Nauru
- Palau
- United States
-
Abstain6
- Cameroon
- Guatemala
- Kiribati
- Papua New Guinea
- South Sudan
- Tonga
-
Absent16
- Afghanistan
- Central African Republic
- Comoros
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Dominica
- Equatorial Guinea
- Swaziland
- Fiji
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Marshall Islands
- Rwanda
- Samoa
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela