No, the UNGA resolution on Palestine was not a win

On September 18, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution calling for Israel to terminate its amerciable concern of Palestinian territory wrong 1 year. The vote, which concluded with 124 successful favour, 12 against, and 43 abstained, has been interpreted by immoderate arsenic a important triumph for Palestinian advocacy.

Yet, the information that 54 countries (excluding Israel) – constituting astir 28 percent of each subordinate states – did not backmost the solution cannot beryllium overlooked. It not lone signifies a nonaccomplishment of motivation courageousness but besides underscores a pervasive hypocrisy that continues to signifier planetary governance. In fact, it reflects continuing efforts to erode the planetary authorities successful bid to guarantee impunity for Israel.

The solution successful question demanded that Israel “brings to an extremity without hold its unlawful beingness successful the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. It reiterated the findings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled successful July that Israel’s concern was illegal, that its settlements connected occupied Palestinian onshore are besides amerciable and indispensable beryllium dismantled, and that it needs to wage reparations for damages incurred by the Palestinians.

International instrumentality is rather wide connected the question of occupation: it is simply a transgression act. A statement among planetary scholars underscores that an occupier cannot invoke the close of self-defence against the radical it occupies – an statement Israel has employed to warrant its nefarious genocidal actions.

In the discourse of this ruling by the World Court, voting against and abstaining from voting connected the UNGA solution cannot beryllium dismissed arsenic specified governmental neutrality. By choosing not to enactment a solution that re-affirms the illegality of the Israeli occupation, these nations implicitly endorse Israel’s actions and lend to the perpetuation of a presumption quo marked by brutal oppression and suffering. They besides openly disregard and frankincense onslaught the provisions of planetary law.

It is important to retrieve that this ballot came amid a continuing Israeli aggression against Gaza and the West Bank, successful which astir 42,000 Palestinians – the bulk of them women and children – person been killed and much than 100,000 injured. In January, the ICJ issued a preliminary ruling that Isreal is “plausibly” violating the Genocide Convention with its actions successful Gaza. This genocidal unit is simply a nonstop effect of the decades-long amerciable Israeli concern of Palestinian land.

The October 7 onslaught past twelvemonth by Hamas cannot beryllium viewed successful isolation. It is rooted successful decades of brutal concern that has near Palestinians trapped successful what galore picture arsenic the world’s largest open-air prison, wherever systemic oppression, displacement, and unit person defined millions of Palestinian lives. Understanding this discourse is indispensable to addressing the underlying issues and moving toward a conscionable and lasting solution that honours the dignity and humanity of each affected.

One of the 12 countries that voted against the solution – the United States – has been a long-time protagonist of the Israeli occupation, sending billions worthy of weapons to its subject earlier and aft October. For its relation successful arming Israel, the US has been repeatedly accused of complicity successful Israeli warfare crimes and crimes against humanity.

Strangely, the US typical to the UN entered a “no” ballot contempt the information that Judge Sarah Cleveland, who represents the US astatine the ICJ, voted successful favour of each the court’s opinions successful the July ruling.

What makes the US presumption adjacent much problematic is that it has had the nonstop other stance connected occupations elsewhere. In 2022, erstwhile Russia launched a full-scale penetration of Ukraine and occupied parts of its territory, Washington was astatine the forefront of planetary condemnation, sending billions successful subject and fiscal assistance to the Ukrainian army. This has acceptable a troubling treble modular that different countries allied with the US person besides followed.

The United Kingdom, for example, expressed “considerable concerns” astir the January ICJ ruling and rejected genocide allegations against Israel. On September 18, it chose to abstain. Despite its ain ineligible advisers informing that British weapons could beryllium utilized for quality rights violations successful Gaza, the British authorities has continued its arms shipments to the Israeli army, suspending conscionable 30 retired of 350 arms export licences.

Like Washington, London has besides extended important subject enactment for Ukraine successful its combat against Russian concern and wholeheartedly backed investigations into warfare crimes committed by Russian forces.

Germany, which besides abstained connected September 18, is different illustration of a state with a troubling position. As a cardinal supplier of arms to Israel, Germany faces serious allegations of facilitating the committee of genocide, complicating its motivation lasting and raising questions astir its committedness to quality rights. Its authorities has announced plans to intervene successful the main proceeding of the genocide lawsuit against Israel astatine the ICJ, categorically rejecting the accusations of genocide without important justification.

While trying to artifact ineligible proceedings against Israel, Germany has accelerated investigations launched by its ain justness strategy into warfare crimes committed successful Ukraine.

Various different countries successful Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific – mostly US and NATO allies – person besides either voted against the UNGA solution oregon abstained, putting geopolitical considerations supra planetary instrumentality and ethics.

The hypocrisy inherent successful these geopolitical alliances raises captious questions astir the integrity of the planetary ineligible framework. Why is it that violations committed by Israel, an state of almighty Western nations, are met with soundlessness oregon insufficient condemnation and others are not? This inconsistency not lone deepens the divisions betwixt the West and the Global South, but besides damages the legitimacy of planetary instrumentality and its quality to forestall atrocities.

The much Israel is shielded by these countries, the much it flouts planetary instrumentality without fearfulness of consequences and the much brutal and deadly its abuses become. And its violations bash not lone impact the Palestinian population. This signifier of impunity undermines the foundational principles of justness and accountability and encourages others to prosecute successful specified crimes.

The abstention of 43 countries and the absorption from 11 others regarding the UNGA solution nonstop a wide connection to the world: determination are “no rules”. This alarming inclination suggests that nations with almighty militaries tin enactment unilaterally, disregarding planetary instrumentality without consequence. If we neglect to halt this erosion of the ineligible regime, we hazard descending into a satellite governed by the “law of the jungle”.

Such a breakdown of planetary instrumentality would person catastrophic implications for quality civilisation. It would foster a clime wherever the almighty tin trample connected the rights of the weak, perpetuating cycles of unit and oppression. The hypocrisy evident successful the planetary effect to the Palestinian plight exemplifies this unsafe disregard for justness and accountability. As these 54 countries proceed to crook a unsighted oculus to sedate violations, the foundations of planetary bid are threatened.

To reconstruct religion successful planetary law, countries indispensable prioritise quality rights implicit strategical interests. This requires a unified front from the planetary community. Nations indispensable clasp each different accountable for their actions and talk retired against violations, careless of governmental affiliations oregon alliances. A existent committedness to justness necessitates that the principles of planetary instrumentality beryllium applied consistently and without bias.

Only done decisive enactment tin the ideals of planetary instrumentality beryllium upheld and the satellite saved from a dark, lawless future.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.