Today's UN Vote: General Assembly demands that Israel leave the occupied Palestinian territories within a year.

Israel's latest crime against humanity: Exploding devices kill dozens, injure thousands.

The resolution was passed by 124 votes to 14 with 43 abstentions. /AP

Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est? —David Byrne

At least 26 Lebanese citizens, eight of whom Hezbollah has confirmed as members. were killed and thousands wounded, including children, when walkie-talkies and other communication devices exploded across Lebanon today, the second coordinated attack by Israel involving booby-trapped devices in two days

Israel’s interception of communications devices across international borders and infusing them with exploding devices set to kill random users is a crime against humanity and a war crime by any standards. Their ability and willingness to weaponize such devices pose an existential threat to Israel’s opponents and critics everywhere in the world.

The difference between this criminal act against the people of Lebanon and the ongoing slaughter of a defenseless population in Palestine is that Lebanon has a strong and well-equipped fighting force in Hezbollah, capable of striking back. The fear is that if and when they do, the war will spread across the entire Middle East.

* * *

The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly today to demand that Israel leave the occupied Palestinian territories within a year. The non-binding vote follows a historic advisory ruling in July by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) urging Israel to cease “its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as soon as possible and stop all settlement activity there immediately”.

Today’s vote may also reflect growing anger within the international community over Israel’s killing of more than 220 UN staff members and its bombing of 5 UN schools since October.

The resolution urges member states to end the import of products originating in the Israeli settlements and to stop the provision of arms, munitions, and related equipment to Israel “if it is reasonable to suspect that they may be used in the occupied Palestinian territory”.

Yes, it’s reasonable to assume that.

Today’s resolution was passed by 124 votes to 14 with 43 abstentions, prompting applause across the general assembly chamber in New York. Predictably, the US, Israel’s biggest backer, and underwriter of its genocidal war on Gaza, voted against it.

The US has no veto at the general assembly, unlike the 15-strong security council, but it lobbied hard among allies to minimize the size of the vote condemning Israel. Its failure to drum up opposition to the resolution, even among most of its NATO and European allies, who either voted yes (Spain and France) or abstained (Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, Ukraine…) shows just how politically isolated the US has become.

* * *

Thank you, Bernie …