UN Security Council Resolution 465 deals with the Israeli settlements inside the territories occupied after the 1967 Arab-Israeli (Six Day) War. Resolution 446 previously admonished Israel for attempting to settle her citizens inside these territories, and this Resolution again chides Israel for continuing to pursue these settlements.

Section Six of this Resolution insists that Israel start to dismantle the settlements. These settlements continue to grow to date, and in the recent Israeli elections, Ariel Sharon formed a coalition government with a party whose main electoral base is in illegal settlements in the Gaza strip. Israel shows no sign of the intention to comply with this Resolution (or indeed previous resolutions regarding the Occupied Territories).

Section Seven calls upon all States to not assist Israel in furthering these settlements, and to refuse to recognise them. The US, who regularly support Israel with loans and weapons used in protecting these settlements, is therefore also in breach of this Resolution.

Section Eight of this resolution cuts to the heart of the issue of the Occupied Territories, the settlements, and why Israel will not willingly give either up: Water Resources. A map of Israel is all that is required to see why the land surrounding the headwaters of the Sea of Galilee (the Golan Heights) and the Dead Sea is important to life in the mostly-desert state of Israel. The West Bank is not so important as the Jordan River and the right to control it, while the Sea of Galilee basin supplies as much as 40% of Israel's water requirements. For more information: http://www.francona.com/commentaries/water-golan.html

Resolution text taken from http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/5aa254a1c8f8b1cb852560e50075d7d5!OpenDocument. Further information from Palestine/Israel: Peace or Apartheid by Marwan Bishara.


Resolution 465 (1980)
Adopted by the Security Council at its 2203rd meeting
on 1 March 1980


The Security Council,

Taking note of the reports of the Commission of the Security Council established under resolution 446 (1979) to examine the situation relating to settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, contained in documents S/13450 and Corr. 1 and S/13679,

Taking note also of letters from the Permanent Representative of Jordan (S/13801) and the Permanent Representative of Morocco, Chairman of the Islamic Group (S/13802),

Strongly deploring the refusal by Israel to co-operate with the Commission and regretting its formal rejection of resolutions 446 (1979) and 452 (1979),

Affirming once more that the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949 is applicable to the Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem,

Deploring the decision of the Government of Israel to officially support Israeli settlement in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967,

Deeply concerned over the practices of the Israeli authorities in implementing that settlement policy in the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and its consequences for the local Arab and Palestinian population,

Taking into account the need to consider measures for the impartial protection of private and public land and property, and water resources,

Bearing in mind the specific status of Jerusalem and, in particular, the need for protection and preservation of the unique spiritual and religious dimension of the Holy Places in the city,

Drawing attention to the grave consequences which the settlement policy is bound to have on any attempt to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East,

Recalling pertinent Security Council resolutions, specifically resolutions 237 (1967) of 14 June 1967, 252 (1968) of 21 May 1968, 267 (1969) of 3 July 1969, 271 (1969) of 15 September 1969 and 298 (1971) of 25 September 1971, as well as the consensus statement made by the President of the Security Council on 11 November 1976,

Having invited Mr. Fahd Qawasmeh, Mayor of Al-Khalil (Hebron), in the occupied territory, to supply it with information pursuant to rule 39 of the provisional rules of procedure,

1. Commends the work done by the Commission in preparing the report contained in document S/13679;

2. Accepts the conclusions and recommendations contained in the above-mentioned report of the Commission;

3. Calls upon all parties, particularly the Government of Israel, to co-operate with the Commission;

4. Strongly deplores the decision of Israel to prohibit the free travel of Mayor Fahd Qawasmeh in order to appear before the Security Council, and requests Israel to permit his free travel to the United Nations headquarters for that purpose;

5. Determines that all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, or any part thereof, have no legal validity and that Israel's policy and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in those territories constitute a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East;

6. Strongly deplores the continuation and persistence of Israel in pursuing those policies and practices and calls upon the Government and people of Israel to rescind those measures, to dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem;

7. Calls upon all States not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connexion with settlements in the occupied territories;

8. Requests the Commission to continue to examine the situation relating to settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, to investigate the reported serious depletion of natural resources, particularly the water resources, with a view to ensuring the protection of those important natural resources of the territories under occupation, and to keep under close scrutiny the implementation of the present resolution;

9. Requests the Commission to report to the Security Council before 1 September 1980, and decides to convene at the earliest possible date thereafter in order to consider the report and the full implementation of the present resolution.