U.S. Statement on U.N. General Assembly Resolution on the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Obligations of Israel

"Madam President, colleagues, this is the wrong time for this flawed, one-sided resolution.

Serious efforts are underway to rebuild Gaza in a way that will end the rule of Hamas terrorists, bring normalcy and dignity to the people in Gaza, and bring peace and prosperity to the Middle East.

This resolution exemplifies how, even following President Trump’s landmark peace agreement and the historic passage of Security Council Resolution 2803, the General Assembly continues its decades-long pattern of unfairly targeting Israel.

The United States rejects the politicized conclusions in this nonbinding 'advisory opinion.' It bares noting that advisory opinions are exactly that: they are not binding. They are not a basis for legislature. Notwithstanding the fact that the ICJ’s ruling was factually baseless and devoid of judicial restraint, the General Assembly’s abuse of advisory opinions as a political tool makes a mockery of international law.

This resolution also ignores the reality on the ground today and the positive developments of the past few months...

Irrelevance is only one fault of many. UNWRA is a subsidiary of Hamas. It is completely penetrated because UNWRA operates under frameworks that treat Hamas like any other actor, and rejects any reasonable standards for accountability or vetting for its staff or partners.

That this resolution would imply that Israel is in any way compelled to work with such an organization is simply wrong. The idea that any nation could be compelled by the General Assembly to work with any organization is a gross infringement on sovereignty.

UNRWA is unaccountable, corrupt and irredeemably compromised. It will play absolutely no role going forward in Gaza...

The United States will vote against this resolution. We urge all delegations ready to play a serious and constructive role in the region’s next chapter to do the same."