UN General Assembly demands Israel withdraw from Syria’s occupied Golan Heights

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday demanding "once more" Israel's withdrawal from Syria's occupied Golan Heights to the 1967 borders in compliance with Security Council resolutions.

The resolution, reaffirming the inadmissibility of acquiring territory by force, was adopted with 97 votes in favor, eight against and 64 abstentions.

It was submitted by a group of countries, namely Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Yemen.

Reaffirming the need for Israel to adhere to international law and relevant UN resolutions, the resolution emphasized that its decision to impose its laws and jurisdiction on the Golan Heights is "null and void and has no validity whatsoever."

It further demanded that Israel "withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967" and stressed the illegality of settlement construction and other activities in the region since 1967.

"The continued occupation of the Syrian Golan and its de facto annexation constitute a stumbling block in the way of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region," the resolution noted.

The resolution also called for the resumption of peace talks on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks and urged the co-sponsors of the peace process and the international community to exert efforts to revive negotiations based on Security Council resolutions 242 and 338.

Adopted in November 1967, UN Security Council resolution 242 urged Israel to withdraw from the territories it had occupied in the 1967 war.

Israel only withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982, as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt enacted in 1979.

Resolution 338 demanded a cease-fire in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and urged the immediate implementation of Resolution 242 to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Additionally, it requested UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report to the General Assembly at its 18th session on the implementation of the resolution.

Expressing "grave concern" over the halt in peace talks, the resolution also expressed hopes for the talks to resume soon.