Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, on Friday harshly criticized the countries who voted in favor of a resolution the Observer Mission of the Palestinians to the UN put forth in the UN's Fourth Committee calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to issue an advisory opinion on the "legal significance of the ongoing Israeli occupation."
In his remarks, Ambassador Erdan said, "The Palestinians’ hypocrisy truly knows no limits… The Palestinians have rejected every single peace initiative, and now they embroil an external body with the excuse that the conflict has not been resolved but the only reason why it has not been resolved is because of their rejectionism… Involving a judicial organ in a decades-old conflict only to dictate one side’s demands on the other, ensures many more years of stagnation. Yet it seems that this is precisely what the Palestinians want, seeing as they rejected every peace plan, including the UN’s partition plan in 1947."
Ambassador Erdan added, "By co-opting the ICJ to impose a decision, the Palestinians are given the perfect excuse to continue boycotting the negotiating table to perpetuate the conflict."
In regard to the resolution only referring to the Temple Mount by its Muslim name, Ambassador Erdan said, "This is not an ignorant mistake, but another attempt to distort history and erase the bond between the Jewish people and Jerusalem! We will never allow this to happen."
The Ambassador also said, "Israel signed four peace agreements in the last two years and the Palestinians claim to teach us Israelis about peace? For Israel, peace is not only an empty slogan. In Israel, we educate our children in tolerance and coexistence…The Palestinians, sadly, do the opposite. Their culture of incitement, hate, and violence is deliberately taught in schools and even kindergartens, poisoning the minds of generations….While these resolutions regurgitate many of the same blatant fabrications as in the past, today’s resolutions include a far more destructive clause. By calling to involve the International Court of Justice, the Palestinians are decimating any chances of reconciliation."
The UN committee approved the resolution with a majority of 98 countries that voted in favor, and 17 which voted against. 52 countries were absent during the vote.
Countries that voted in favor included Belgium, Turkey, Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Jordan, Morocco, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates. Countries that opposed included the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Australia, Austria and Italy.
The text, which was officially submitted by Nicaragua since the PA is an observer and not a member state of the UN, asks the ICJ to consider that, due to its continuing nature, the "Israeli occupation" constitutes annexation.
The motion now goes to the UN General Assembly, which will vote on the matter next month and, if approved, will then be taken to the ICJ.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)