Key UN committee seeks legal opinion on Israel’s occupation

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A key U.N. committee has approved a draft resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to urgently issue an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of denying the Palestinian people the right to self-determination as a result of Israel’s actions since the 1967 war. The measure was vehemently opposed by Israel, which argued that it will destroy any chance of reconciliation with the Palestinians. The vote in the General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonization Committee  on Friday was 98-17 with 52 abstentions. The resolution will now go to the 193-member assembly for a final vote before the end of the year, when it is virtually certain of approval.