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Remove Security Barrier, UN Tells Israel

(New York Times) The UN General Assembly voted 150 to 6 on Tuesday to demand that Israel obey a World Court ruling that it abandon and dismantle its separation barrier on the West Bank and pay compensation to Palestinians affected by its construction. The U.S., Australia, and Israel voted against the resolution and 10 nations including Canada abstained. Last-minute amendments succeeded in gaining the support of all 25 members of the EU and more than 30 other nations that had abstained the last time the matter came before the assembly. "Thank God that the fate of Israel and of the Jewish people is not decided in this hall," said Israel's UN ambassador Dan Gillerman. Resolutions from the 191-member General Assembly are nonbinding and largely symbolic. James B. Cunningham, the deputy American ambassador, said the U.S. voted against the measure because it was "unbalanced" and erred in assigning a problem to the courts that rightly should be solved through political negotiations. American ambassador John C. Danforth said, "It follows a long line of one-sided resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, none of which has made any contribution to peace in the Middle East."
2004-07-21 00:00:00
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