Egypt’s representative at the United Nations Amr Abu Al-Atta presented two resolutions during the 60th plenary session of the United Nations, with both adopted by the General Assembly on Tuesday.
The first resolution addressed the Palestine situation, highlighting recent issues in East Jerusalem, the second referred to the Syrian Golan Heights, according to UN documents of the resolutions.
According to a foreign ministry statement, Amr Abu Al-Atta said in his presentation to the assembly: “The international community cannot continue to ignore the continuation of one of the most unjust practices of man, namely, the occupation, and to try to impose a fait accompli by force to exploit the gap in the balance of power between the occupied people on one side and an occupying force by another.”
Israeli security forces have clashed with Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is also a holy site for the Jewish people. Concerns were raised regarding the issue of settlers and “Israeli excavations” in the text of the resolution, which was adopted by a vote of 144 in favour, 6 against and 10 abstentions.
Israel has occupied the Syrian Golan since 1967 and concerns were raised in the second resolution regarding Israel not withdrawing from the area, “contrary to the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions”.
The resolution also stressed the “illegality of the Israeli settlement construction and other activities in the occupied Syrian Golan since 1967”. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 99 in favour, 6 against and 57 abstentions.
The foreign ministry statement named the six countries that voted against the two resolutions as “Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau [and] the United States”. The ministry said their vote against the resolutions “express their rejection of the international community, for the continuation of the occupation and Israel’s illegal practices in the occupied Arab territories”.