ATHENS – Greece voted in favor of a nonbinding UN resolution on September 18 demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory” within a year. The document is based on the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague regarding Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank. In light of the continual deepening and strengthening of Greece-Israel relations – including military cooperation and support – the Greek government issued a statement explaining its vote, emphasizing its obligation to support the ICJ.

The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the resolution, which the New York Times described as “a significant but symbolic move that highlighted growing international condemnation of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people… The resolution was approved by a vote of 124 to 14, with Israel and the United States in opposition and 43 other nations abstaining. The decision followed a landmark opinion issued in July by the International Court of Justice, the world’s highest court, which said that Israel’s occupation violated international law and should end ‘as rapidly as possible.’”

The Times added that “the resolution was the first to be put forth by Palestine, a U.N. nonmember observer state, since it was granted new diplomatic privileges by the Assembly in May. The Assembly granted those privileges after the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution that would have recognized full membership for a Palestinian state in April.”

The resolution demands that Israel withdraw all military forces and evacuate settlers from the occupied territory and calls on nations to halt the transfer of weapons to Israel if there are reasonable grounds to believe they may be used there, and also to halt the imports of “any products originating in the Israeli settlements.”

A spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, Oren Marmorstein, said on social media that it was “disconnected from reality, encourages terrorism and harms the chances for peace,” also accusing the Palestinian Authority of being interested only in “defaming” and harming Israel.

Greece Had Some Explaining to Do

Citing “well-informed sources” Kathimerini said “the Greek vote was dictated by two main considerations: first, because Greece enters the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member from January 1, and hence there is a need to maintain good relations with the states of the so-called Global South, with Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis scheduled to have dozens of meetings in New York next week ahead of the new year. Secondly, Athens firmly supports international justice and in this particular case the UN decision is also based on the opinion of the ICJ regarding the occupied territories. In short, Greece took a principled stand, as Greek diplomacy defends international law as a tool of universal and not selective application.”

Prior to the vote Greece informed Israel of its intentions given the importance of the strategic relations of the two countries. The explanation noted everything that Greek diplomacy has supported since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, including references to the release of the hostages and the security of Israel.

“However, Greece decided to vote in favor of the resolution based on Greece’s undivided support for international law and the institution that embodies it, the ICJ,” Kathimerini noted, adding that “the explanation said further that it is Greece’s belief that the work of the ICJ must be protected, even in the event of a dispute. International law and the rule of law are at the heart of the United Nations Charter and serve as a shield against all forms of violations, it said.”

The following EU member-states voted in favor of the resolution: Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia and Latvia. Twelve countries abstained: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Lithuania. The Czech Republic and Hungary voted against.