Ukraine finally absented itself from the vote to “give bilateral relations a chance”, according to Axios
Jan. 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky to vote against an International Court of Justice (ICJ) investigation into the legality of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory; a request that Zelensky refused to accommodate amid tensions over Israel’s lack of military aid to Ukraine in the war with Russia.
Multiple Israeli and Ukrainian official sources have explained to the US portal Axios that Netanyahu asked Zelensky weeks ago to vote against the initiative before the General Assembly, taking into account that kyiv had already voted in favor of the decision in a previous round at the level committee.
Zelensky opted instead to order the Ukrainian ambassador to the UN to absent himself from the vote “to give relations with the new Israeli government” a chance, led by Netanyahu, according to Ukrainian sources, and after an unsuccessful series of calls in which the Ukrainian president asked his Israeli counterpart to reconsider his position and start delivering military aid to Ukraine.
The Israeli president replied that he would consider the request but did not declare any commitment, hence Zelensky ordered the ambassador to absent himself from the vote; a decision that has caused some discomfort among the new Israeli government.
“Neither of the two leaders was satisfied and neither got what they wanted,” a senior Ukrainian official explained to the US portal.
The resolution was finally approved with 87 votes in favor, 26 against and 53 abstentions. The corresponding document, titled ‘Israeli Practices and Settlement Activities Affecting the Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs in the Occupied Territories’, calls on the court to “urgently convey its opinion” on the “prolonged occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory”. .
In addition, it urges the opening of an investigation into the measures taken by the Israeli authorities to “alter the demographic composition and status of Jerusalem”, while accusing Israel of adopting “discriminatory legislation and measures” against the population.
The ICJ, which could take between one and two years to issue its opinion, last ruled on the conflict in 2004, when the General Assembly asked it to intercede. Among the countries that have voted this Friday against the resolution is now Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States, Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy and Australia, among others.
