UN Resolution: Israel Should Join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

On Tuesday, December 2, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, supported by Arab nations, calling on Israel to place its nuclear facilities under international supervision and to have no place for nuclear weapons in its policy. According to the Associated Press, the resolution, which passed with 161 votes in favor and 5 against, refers to Israel as the only country in the Middle East that has not joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and states that Israel must join this treaty without delay. The resolution also requests that Israel refrain from testing and developing its nuclear program and acquiring nuclear weapons, and that it place its nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The United States and Canada are among the five countries that opposed this resolution, while 18 countries abstained from voting. Robert Wood, the U.S. representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, described the resolution as biased and unbalanced last month. He stated that the United States would continue its efforts to make the Middle East a nuclear-free zone, but the adoption of such resolutions could obscure this vision. The resolution was presented to the UN by Egypt and is titled 'Nuclear Proliferation Risks in the Middle East.' However, the resolution is not binding, although the UN General Assembly is the only body where all 193 member countries are present, which gives such resolutions symbolic credibility. The Arab countries that supported this resolution had also sought a similar resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency last September, which was rejected by a margin of 8 votes. In this context, a resolution to end 'Israeli occupation' was proposed by the Palestinian representative at the UN.