UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 74/301: STEERING THE COURSE OF THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT TOWARD PEACE OR PERSISTENCE

On September 17, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 74/301, adopting the text titled “Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israel's policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and from the illegality of Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory." This Resolution calls on Israel to withdraw its troops from Palestine within 12 months. 124 states supported the Resolution, while 14 states voted against it, and 43 abstained from voting. The Resolution requires the removal of Israeli soldiers from Palestinian territory, cessation of new settlements, restitution of confiscated land and property, and the potential return of displaced Palestinians. It additionally urges states to take measures to halt arms supplies to Israel when there are "reasonable grounds to anticipate that they may be utilized in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. However, Israel greatly opposed the Resolution. The country, through its foreign Spokesman Oren Marmorstein, stated on X that the Resolution is a distorted decision that is disconnected from reality, encourages terrorism, and harms the chances for peace. This opposition signals a possible disregard for the Resolution. To this end, this paper examines past and present United Nations efforts since the Palestinian hostilities began, the binding effect of the United Nations Resolution 74/301, and what that means for the future of the Israel-Palestine conflict. It finds that although resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly are generally not binding, the mechanisms put in place in the Resolution bring a glimpse of hope amidst the hostilities.

2024年9月17日，联合国大会（United Nations General Assembly）通过第74/301号决议，采纳了题为《国际法院（International Court of Justice）就以色列在包括东耶路撒冷（East Jerusalem）在内的被占领巴勒斯坦领土（Occupied Palestinian Territory）内的政策和做法以及以色列持续占据该领土的非法性所产生的法律后果发表的咨询意见》的文本。本决议呼吁以色列在12个月内从巴勒斯坦撤军。共有124个国家支持该决议，14个国家投下反对票，另有43个国家弃权。决议要求以色列军队撤离巴勒斯坦领土、停止新建定居点、返还被没收的土地与财产，并推动流离失所的巴勒斯坦人返回家园。此外，决议敦促各国在“有合理理由认为武器可能被用于被占领巴勒斯坦领土”时，采取措施停止向以色列供应武器。以色列方面强烈反对该决议，该国通过外交发言人奥伦·莫莫斯坦（Oren Marmorstein）在X平台上表态称，该决议是脱离现实的扭曲决定，会助长恐怖主义并破坏和平进程。这种反对态度暗示以色列可能会无视该决议。为此，本文梳理了巴勒斯坦武装冲突爆发以来联合国过往及当前的相关行动，分析了联合国第74/301号决议的约束力，以及该决议对以巴冲突未来走向的意义。研究发现，尽管联合国大会决议通常不具有法律约束力，但本决议所设立的相关机制，仍为当前的冲突局势带来了一丝希望。