Permanent sovereignty over natural resources in the OPT and Golan – GA Second Cttee debate, vote – Summary record (excerpts)

Second Committee 

Summary record of the 36th meeting 

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Thursday, 14 November 2013, at 3 p.m. 

 Chair:  Mr. Diallo …………………………………………………….   (Senegal) 

Contents 

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Agenda item 61: 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) 

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Agenda item 61: 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) (A/C.2/68/L.27)  

Draft resolution on the 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 (A/C.2/68/L.27) 

32.  The Chair said that the draft resolution had no programme budget implications. 

33.  Ms. de Laurentis (Secretary of the Committee) announced that the sponsors had been joined by Brunei Darussalam, Namibia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Zimbabwe. 

34.  A recorded vote was taken. 

In favour: 

Against:

Abstaining:

35.  Draft resolution A/C.2/68/L.27 was adopted by 162 votes to 5, with 9 abstentions. 

36.  Mr. Golan (Israel) said that his delegation had requested a vote and voted against the draft resolution. The Committee had once again chosen to take a detour from its important work in order to engage in a meaningless annual exercise. At a time when the Organization’s resources were scarce, it had wasted its time discussing a one-sided, biased text. It was saddening that so many Committee members were prepared to allow the agenda to be hijacked. The draft resolution did nothing to encourage reconciliation or to improve life on the ground. Instead, it was designed to foment division and to allow delegations motivated by anti-Israelism to disparage his country.

37.  The outstanding issues between Israel and the Palestinians should be resolved through bilateral negotiations. Israel’s hand remained outstretched to the Palestinians and Member States. His country stood prepared to share its knowledge and experience, and would focus on providing technology for developing countries.

38.  Mr. AlHantouli (Observer for the State of Palestine) said that the draft resolution, adopted with overwhelming support, reiterated the right of the Palestinian people to sovereignty over its natural resources, which were fundamental for development. The draft resolution urged Israel to stop expropriating Palestinian land and water, destroying agriculture and polluting the environment. It took a clear stand in favour of international law and against Israel’s colonial occupation of the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the occupied Syrian Golan. 

39.  Twenty-five years after the adoption of the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, the reality on the ground had not changed. Israel’s outstretched hand brought with it confiscations, settlements, the separation wall, the destruction of resources and collective punishment. Against that background, the international community had a responsibility to take action. 

The meeting rose at 4.25 p.m. 

This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be sent as soon as possible, under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned, to the Chief of the Documents Control Unit (srcorrections@un.org), and incorporated in a copy of the record. 

Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org/).