The Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) recently adopted a draft resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) render an advisory opinion on the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In response, Israel Prime Minister Yair Lapid embarked on a campaign to prevent the vote from taking place at the General Assembly and sent a letter yesterday (November 28) to more than 50 world leaders urging them to pressure the Palestinian Authority to refrain from “promoting this dangerous move.”
In the letter, Lapid added that if the campaign to stop the vote in the UNGA is unsuccessful, he expects Israel’s allies to stand by its side and vote against the resolution. He argued:
“This resolution is the outcome of a concerted effort to single out Israel, to discredit our legitimate security concerns, and to delegitimize of our very existence.”
Lapid notes that many of the diplomatic achievements in recent years in the region–such as the Abraham Accords, the Negev Summit and the historic gas deal between Israel and Lebanon–were made possible by negotiation efforts between the involved parties. This, he says, is the only path to attaining a lasting peace in the Middle East, and it is crucial to continue building on this progress, rather than detracting from it.
The Lapid government also intensified its high-level contacts with senior officials in the Palestinian Authority, and at the same time is also implementing a series of confidence-building measures on the ground with the intention of increasing prosperity and strengthening the PA. Lapid goes on to highlight his last UN speech stressing Israel’s desire for a just and lasting peace with the Palestinians.
Lapid emphasized that the status of the disputed territories is to be determined in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and raising the subject at the ICC goes against the principle of direct talks between the parties that has been supported by the international community until this day. He warns that such an act will likely “play into the hands of extremists, further polarize the parties, and undermine the positive work that has been done over the past few years.”
Among the countries who received the letter are key allies including the UK, France, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Latvia, Georgia, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru and Vietnam.
Whether it’s Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennet or Binyamin Netanyahu sitting in the Prime Minister’s Office, all agree that Israel is wrongly singled out in the corridors of the United Nations. However, Lapid highlighting the activity of his own government and his UN speech may not be the best strategy here, as Israel’s allies are well aware that he is in his final days as prime minister, and that a new government with a different agenda will soon be sworn into office.
