The Hindu : U.N. demands Israeli withdrawal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 07, 2002

International

International

U.N. demands Israeli withdrawal

United Nations Aug. 6. The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that the Israeli armed forces withdraw immediately to the positions they occupied when the current intifada began in September 2000.

The resolution, adopted by 114 votes to four with eleven abstentions yesterday, also calls for "the immediate cessation of military incursions and all acts of violence, terror, provocation, incitement and destruction." The United States was among the four countries that voted against the resolution, which "strongly deplores the lack of Israeli co-operation" in implementing previous U.N. resolutions on the matter.

The resolution also emphasised the urgency of ensuring that medical and humanitarian organisations get unhindered access to Palestinian civilians at all times, and calls for assistance in rebuilding and revitalising the Palestinian economy. Despite its strong wording, the resolution represents a substantially watered down version of the original proposed by the Arab group, which the European Union had said it was unable to support.

A draft resolution to condemn the Jewish state for the "atrocities" against citizens committed by Israeli troops in Jenin and other Palestinian cities was deemed "hypocrisy" by the US. — AFP

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