New York: The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved an Arab-backed resolution on Tuesday calling on Israel to renounce possession of nuclear weapons and put its nuclear facilities under international oversight.
The resolution, adopted in a 161-5 vote, noted that Israel is the only Middle Eastern country that is not party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. It called on Israel to “accede to that treaty without further delay, not to develop, produce test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons, to renounce possession of nuclear weapons” and put its nuclear facilities under the safeguard of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The United States, Canada, Palau and Micronesia joined Israel in opposing the measure, while 18 countries abstained.
The resolution, introduced by Egypt, echoed a similar Arab-backed effort that failed to gain approval in September at the IAEA. At the time, Israel criticised Arab countries for undermining dialogue by repeatedly singling out the Jewish state in international arenas.
