THE United Nations general assembly was set to vote last night on a Palestinian resolution demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence”in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year, withdraw its military forces and evacuate all settlers.

The resolution is being put to a vote in the 193-member assembly as Israel’s brutal military campaign in Gaza approaches its first anniversary. 

Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour opened the assembly meeting on Tuesday by warning that his people face an “existential threat” and accusing Israel of holding them “in shackles.”

He called for an end to Israel’s decades-long occupation and for Palestinians to be able to return home to live in peace and freedom.

Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon urged member nations to reject the resolution, describing it as “an attempt to destroy Israel through diplomatic terrorism” that never mentions Hamas atrocities and “ignores the truth, twists the facts and replaces reality with fiction.”

If adopted, the resolution would not be legally binding, but the extent of its support would reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the general assembly, unlike in the 15-member security council.

US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield told reporters that the resolution had “a significant number of flaws” and that Israel had a right to defend itself.