The United Nations General Assembly has passed two resolutions calling for the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the Syrian Golan Heights. The resolution on Palestine, sponsored by Djibouti, Jordan, Mauritania, Qatar, Senegal and Palestine, received broad support with 151 votes in favour, 11 against, including the United States, and 11 abstentions.

The resolution reaffirms the UN’s responsibility towards the Palestinian question and urges Israel to end its occupation of territories seized in 1967. It also reiterates support for a two-state solution as the framework for a lasting resolution. UN officials have emphasised that continued occupation undermines regional stability and hampers efforts to achieve peace.

In a parallel vote, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on the Golan Heights, proposed by Egypt, calling on Israel to withdraw from the occupied plateau and describing its annexation as illegal under international law. The resolution passed with 123 votes in favour, 7 against, including the United States, and 41 abstentions. It references UN Security Council Resolution 497, adopted in 1981, which declared Israel’s annexation of the Golan illegal.

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the resolution, urging Israel to withdraw from the entirety of the occupied Golan Heights. Observers note that these votes reflect widespread international consensus on the illegality of Israel’s occupation in both Palestine and Syria, despite continued opposition from a small number of countries.