UN overwhelmingly adopts resolution to impose sanctions on Israel

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a Palestinian-drafted resolution that demands Israel end "its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" within 12 months.

The resolution, passed on Wednesday, demands that Israel withdraw its forces, immediately halt all new settlement building, and evacuate all settlers from the Palestinian territories.

It also urges countries to take steps to prevent trade or investments that maintain Israel's presence and implement sanctions, "including in relation to settler violence", and calls for Israel to pay reparations to Palestinians for the damage caused by its occupation.

The resolution received 124 votes in favour. Australia was one of 43 countries to abstain, among them the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada. Only 12 countries voted against the resolution including the United States and Israel.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed regret that Australia was unable to vote for the resolution, saying the nation’s diplomats had tried and failed to redraft the motion to make it less contentious.

“We wish we were in a position to have been able to support it,” Wong told ABC radio on Thursday.

Wong said Australia’s diplomats worked hard to secure amendments to allow it to vote yes – as the nation did in the previous two UN votes – but failed to convince the Palestinian delegation to rewrite the resolution to more narrowly reflect the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, issued in July, that the occupation is illegal.