The General Assembly has urged all UN member-states to totally isolate Israel by ceasing all military, economic and diplomatic contacts with her. The call was included in a resolution overwhelmingly adopted last Thursday night by a vote of 87-22 with 31 abstentions.
This resolution was’ part of a score of resolutions which sharply criticized Israel and its occupation of Arab territories. The resolution also called for unconditional withdrawal by Israel from all territories it has occuped since 1967. The resolutions said that unless Israel withdrew, there can be no just and lasting settlement in the Middle East.
The same resolution also strongly condemned the negative votes of the United States in the Security Council on resolutions regarding the Middle East. The resolutions said that the United States veto prevents the Council from taking appropriate measures to solve the Middle East conflict. The resolution also demanded that Israel rescind its decision to impose its laws and jurisdiction on the Golan Heights and reiterated a previous General Assembly statement that Israel was not “a peace-loving member-state.”
Another resolution adopted Thursday night condemened the massacre of civilians in Beirut and called for the strict respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty. Israel joined the vote condemning the massacre but voted, in a separate vote, against the provision that said that the massacre was an act of genocide. The basic vote was 145 for, none against.
Another resolution condemned what it called the plundering of the Palestinian cultural heritage during the Israeli occupation of Beirut and called on Israel to make full restitution, through UNESCO, of all the archives and documents removed by Israel. The vote on this resolution was 138-1. The negative vote was cast by Israel. The United States, the Dominican Republic, Malawi Papua and New Guinea abstained.
Another resolution deplored the transfer by some states of their diplomatic missions back to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in violation of the 1980 resolution of the Security Council. The vote on this resolution was 137 in favor with only Israel voting against it, and four abstentions — the United States, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Malawi.
Still another resolution called for strict respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence. The resolution received 145 votes, with no opposition.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
