{"id":318388,"date":"2025-01-23T14:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T19:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=318388"},"modified":"2026-05-22T14:26:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T18:26:39","slug":"summary-record-of-the-21st-meeting-of-the-second-committee-general-assembly-discussion-on-draft-resolution-a-c-2-79-l-40-permanent-sovereignty-of-the-palestinian-people-in-the-occupied-palestinian","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/summary-record-of-the-21st-meeting-of-the-second-committee-general-assembly-discussion-on-draft-resolution-a-c-2-79-l-40-permanent-sovereignty-of-the-palestinian-people-in-the-occupied-palestinian\/","title":{"rendered":"Summary record of the 21st meeting of the Second Committee (General Assembly): Discussion on draft resolution A\/C.2\/79\/L.40, Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – (A\/C.2\/79\/SR.21)"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

(Excerpt from the summary record relevant to the question of Palestine is reproduced here)<\/em><\/p>\n

Second Committee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Summary record of the 21st meeting<\/strong><\/p>\n

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Wednesday, 13 November 2024, at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n

Chair<\/em>:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr. Muhith………………………………………….. (Bangladesh)<\/p>\n

\n

\/…<\/p>\n

Agenda item 59: Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (continued<\/em>) (A\/C.2\/79\/L.40<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Draft resolution A\/C.2\/79\/L.40<\/a>: Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Chair<\/strong> said that a recorded vote had been requested on the draft resolution, which had no programme budget implications.<\/li>\n
  2. Mr. Kwoba<\/strong> (Uganda), introducing draft resolution A\/C.2\/79\/L.40<\/a> on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said that the draft resolution was based on the resolutions adopted in previous sessions with significant updates, notably in the preamble, which recalled the advisory opinion rendered by the International Court of Justice on 19 July 2024, and in paragraph 13, which requested the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session, through the Economic and Social Council, on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan.<\/li>\n
  3. The draft resolution reaffirmed the principle of the permanent sovereignty of peoples under foreign occupation over their natural resources and the applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967. It also reaffirmed the rights of the Palestinian people and of the population of the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, including land, water and energy resources, and demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, cease the exploitation, damage and cause of loss or depletion and endangerment of natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.<\/li>\n
  4. Overwhelming support of the draft resolution by Member States would send a strong message of solidarity with the Palestinian people in their just cause, especially at the current difficult juncture. It would also send a message of hope to the Palestinian people about their right to self-determination and to the establishment of their own independent State.<\/li>\n
  5. Ms. Herity<\/strong> (Secretary of the Committee) said that Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Federation had become sponsors of the draft resolution. She then noted that T\u00fcrkiye also wished to become a sponsor.<\/li>\n
  6. Ms. Mokono<\/strong> (Papua New Guinea), making a general statement before the voting, said that Papua New Guinea, a member of the Group of 77, wished to disassociate itself from sponsorship of draft resolutions A\/C.2\/79\/L.40<\/a> and A\/C.2\/79\/L.9<\/a>, as elements of both draft resolutions were inconsistent with its national position. Her delegation had therefore abstained in the voting on the latter and would do so on the former.<\/li>\n
  7. Mr. Abu-Rukun<\/strong> (Israel), speaking in explanation of vote before the voting, said that Israel had requested a vote on the draft resolution and would be voting against it. The draft resolution ignored essential facts and was rooted in biased political motives. Geopolitical tensions the world over threatened joint efforts to achieve sustainable development for all, ensuring that no one was left behind. And yet the Second Committee had chosen to single out Israel, not with one draft resolution but with two.<\/li>\n
  8. Israel had a clear understanding of the reasoning behind that choice and upon reflection, colleagues in the meeting room would arrive at the same conclusion. The draft resolution was centred on the natural resources of the Palestinian people. Tragically, every resource meant to benefit the Palestinians had been co-opted by Hamas for its war machinery. Concrete and metal meant for civilian infrastructure was diverted to reinforce the extensive network of tunnels Hamas had constructed under schools, hospitals, United Nations facilities and residential neighbourhoods. Food and water supplies meant for civilians were instead stockpiled for the exclusive use of terrorists. Fuel intended for hospitals was diverted to sustain Hamas military activities. Not only had Israel presented clear evidence to support those assertions but Hamas itself had openly boasted about those actions, posting them publicly for the world to see.<\/li>\n
  9. At that very moment, Hamas was using those same tunnels built from stolen resources to hide themselves and 101 hostages they had abducted from Israel. It was his delegation\u2019s belief that the draft resolution before the Committee and, through years of silence, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia which had prepared the report on which the draft resolution was based (A\/79\/187-E\/2024\/68<\/a>), had indirectly encouraged terrorist activities like those of Hamas. Ultimately, that silence and complicity had contributed to the horrific massacre on 7 October 2023.<\/li>\n
  10. Once again, the Committee had before it a draft resolution that failed to accurately reflect the realities on the ground and disregarded the extensive role of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in deliberately causing civilian harm. The agenda item further exemplified the inherent obsession with the demonization of Israel, which was reflected in the unprecedented number of existing mechanisms against a single State and the number of communications targeting Israel over the past year.<\/li>\n
  11. As for the new addition to the draft resolution recalling the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, Israel categorically rejected the Court\u2019s advisory opinion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The advisory opinion was the product of a politically motivated, invalid and one-sided General Assembly resolution that lacked majority support from Member States. It failed to acknowledge the legitimate security concerns of Israel and the continuous threats it faced. The Court had disregarded the right and duty of Israel to defend itself and its citizens, especially in the aftermath of 7 October. That short-sighted approach only served to embolden terrorism and extremist elements in the region. Furthermore, the advisory opinion ignored the grave violations committed by the Palestinian side, including the encouragement of terrorism, support for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the financing of terrorists and incitement within their education system.<\/li>\n
  12. The advisory opinion played into the hands of regional extremists and gave rise to terrorism. The Palestinian Authority, which had initiated the process, demonstrated its lack of genuine interest in peace, instead focusing on delegitimizing Israel through the abuse of international legal forums.<\/li>\n
  13. For all those reasons, Israel had requested a vote on the draft resolution and would vote against it. His delegation thanked those who recognized it for what it was and would not support an ongoing exercise in denial, diversion and hatred.<\/li>\n
  14. Mr. Nicolino<\/strong> (Argentina), making a general statement before the voting, said that his delegation wished to dissociate itself from sponsorship of draft resolutions A\/C.2\/79\/L.9<\/a> and A\/C.2\/79\/L.40<\/a> under agenda items 18 and 59, respectively, and requested the Secretary of the Committee to proceed accordingly.<\/li>\n
  15. At the request of the representative of Israel, a recorded vote was taken on draft resolution <\/em>A\/C.2\/79\/L.40<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In favour<\/em>:<\/p>\n

    Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People\u2019s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, T\u00fcrkiye, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

    Against<\/em>:<\/p>\n

    Argentina, Canada, Israel, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, United States of America.<\/p>\n

    Abstaining<\/em>:<\/p>\n

    Cameroon, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Fiji, Kiribati, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Rwanda, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Draft resolution <\/em>A\/C.2\/79\/L.40<\/em><\/a> was adopted by 159 votes to 7, with 11 abstentions.<\/em><\/li>\n
    2. Ms. Abushawesh<\/strong> (Observer for the State of Palestine) said that the State of Palestine was grateful to all Member States that had voted in favour of the draft resolution just adopted and, in particular, to the Group of 77 and China and to additional sponsors for their strong endorsement of the draft resolution and unwavering support for the rights and well-being of the Palestinian people.<\/li>\n
    3. The adoption of the draft resolution by a resounding majority was a strong reaffirmation of, inter alia, the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and freedom, as well as their sovereign right over their natural resources in line with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.<\/li>\n
    4. It also sent a strong message that all the atrocities Israel was committing in the besieged Gaza Strip, as well as the measures and policies it was carrying out across the rest of occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, were illegal and must be halted, and that the occupying Power must be held accountable without delay, a legal determination reaffirmed by the latest International Court of Justice advisory opinion cited in the draft resolution.<\/li>\n
    5. Since she had last addressed the Committee, not a single day had gone by nor had a single minute passed during which Israel, the occupying Power, had not continued to trample the Charter of the United Nations and deliberately commit grave violations of international law across occupied Palestine. The excruciating pain, loss and devastation inflicted on defenceless Palestinian civilians by Israel\u2019s unbridled violence across occupied Palestine for over a year was incomprehensible and unconscionable.<\/li>\n
    6. Her people had been living a gruesome nightmare while the world was bearing witness to a livestream of unspeakable atrocities perpetrated by Israel and its occupying forces, including its settler militias as they continued to traumatize and terrorize the Palestinian people, wantonly killing, maiming and destroying at an unprecedented pace.<\/li>\n
    7. Regrettably, that was only happening because Israel had been allowed to behave as a State above the law, committing those war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide, openly threatening more death, more destruction, more displacement, using false and racist pretexts and classifying everyone as \u201cterrorists.\u201d It was accelerating its sinister plans, executing its brutal military threats with brazen impunity, certain that it would not be stopped and that it would continue to be shielded from any consequences at all costs by the complicity of those arming and supporting it. That must stop. Double standards and hypocrisy must end. Impunity must end.<\/li>\n
    8. Israel must be held accountable for all its atrocities and grave violations of international law. The international community must step up to its responsibilities and force Israel to abide by its legal obligations under international law. After 57 years of belligerent settler colonial occupation, an apartheid regime and, currently, genocide, the international community could no longer stand idly by while an entire people continued to be denied their human rights, including the right to live in freedom and dignity, and while their society was being deliberately devastated and debilitated. Words and condemnations were not enough, as they reached deaf ears in Israel. Serious and decisive measures must be taken to put an end to the historic injustice inflicted on the Palestinian people, in accordance with international law and numerous relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2334 (2016)<\/a> and General Assembly resolution ES-10\/24<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    9. Ms. L\u00e1z\u00e1r<\/strong> (Hungary), speaking on behalf of the European Union and its member States, said that while the European Union had supported the draft resolution, just as it had in the past, the use of the term \u201cPalestine\u201d could not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine, without prejudice to the individual position of its member States on that issue or on the validity of accession to the conventions and treaties mentioned therein.<\/li>\n
    10. Speaking in her national capacity, she said that Hungary had voted in favour of the draft resolution. However, that did not alter its position regarding the International Court of Justice advisory opinion, which neglected the legitimate security concerns of Israel. The path to achieving peace and resolving the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be grounded in bilateral negotiations between the parties.<\/li>\n
    11. Hungary continued to fully support efforts agreed to by the parties, including the Oslo framework that had been, and remained, a reference point for any future negotiations. Hungary reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace based on a two-State solution.<\/li>\n
    12. Mr. Saker<\/strong> (Syrian Arab Republic) said that the natural resources of Syrians in the occupied Syrian Golan and Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory were crucial for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The destruction, genocide and displacement being perpetrated by the Israeli occupation was not only obstructing those Goals but inflaming tensions throughout the region and beyond. In Gaza, over 43,000 had died, with tens of thousands more injured or missing beneath the rubble. Yet the United Nations remained powerless to stop the aggression and hold the occupation authorities accountable. Obstruction by the United States Administration in the Security Council had emboldened Israel to expand its aggression into Syria, where it had destroyed infrastructure and killed over 100 people.<\/li>\n
    13. In the occupied Syrian Golan, Israel continued to refuse to comply with United Nations resolutions and was planning to double the number of its settlers by 2027. Those settlers would continue to use resources while depriving Syrians of access to them. Israeli crimes included killing 12 children on a playing field in the town of Majdal Shams. Israel had also buried some 1,500 barrels of nuclear waste in the Golan. No matter how long Israel continued to occupy Palestine, the Syrian Golan and southern Lebanon, those lands would remain Arab. The time had come for the United Nations to compel Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with its resolutions, above all Security Council resolutions 242 (1967)<\/a>, 338 (1973)<\/a> and 497 (1981)<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    14. Mr. Koval<\/strong> (United States of America) said that President Biden had been clear that Israelis and Palestinians equally deserved to live safely and securely and deserved equal measures of freedom, dignity, justice and prosperity. The United States was firmly committed to supporting the path to a two-State solution through constructive measures.<\/li>\n
    15. The United States remained disappointed that the Second Committee had again taken up an unbalanced draft resolution that was unfairly critical of Israel, demonstrating a clear and persistent institutional bias directed against one Member State. One-sided resolutions would not help advance peace, not when they ignored the facts on the ground. One-sided resolutions were purely rhetorical documents that sought to divide the international community at a time when it should be coming together and not clinging to long-standing lines of division. If Member States were serious about promoting the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, they should seek to end the persistent bias within the United Nations against Israel.<\/li>\n
    16. Ms. Azzi<\/strong> (Algeria) said that the Palestinian people continued to suffer daily from death, destruction and the illegal appropriation of their natural resources. Israel was flagrantly flouting international humanitarian law and a host of United Nations resolutions. In Gaza, over 43,000 had been killed and millions displaced. Vital infrastructure was being decimated, include including houses, schools, hospitals and water and electricity grids, even as humanitarian assistance was being blocked by the siege. The situation would only get worse if the occupation made good on its threat to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA). Rebuilding would take years. As the resolution stated, Palestinians had a right to claim restitution for their losses.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The meeting rose at 12.20 p.m.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        (Excerpt from the summary record relevant to the question of Palestine is reproduced here) Second Committee Summary record of the 21st meeting Held at Headquarters, New York, on Wednesday, 13 November 2024, at 10 a.m. Chair:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr. Muhith………………………………………….. (Bangladesh) \/… Agenda item 59: Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[3053],"document-source":[1933],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1741,1805,1821],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6544,6543,6542,6541,6539,6538],"class_list":["post-318388","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-summary-record","document-source-general-assembly-second-committee-economic-and-financial","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-occupation","document-subject-self-determination","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-arabic","document-language-chinese","document-language-english","document-language-french","document-language-russian","document-language-spanish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/318388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/318388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":318408,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/318388\/revisions\/318408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=318388"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=318388"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=318388"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=318388"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=318388"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=318388"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=318388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}