A UN resolution is a formal expression of the opinion or will of a United Nations organ. Unlike recommendations, they are legally binding. The Charter stipulates that all Member States are bound to carry out decisions of the Security Council, even if they disagree with them. Resolutions can be either substantive or procedural, with a preambular clause (which begins the text) and an operative clause (the latter typically starts with a verb). Both begin with capital letters, are italicized or underlined and end in commas or semicolons; they never start with adjectives.
The UN Security Council, one of the most powerful bodies in the world, has a number of mechanisms to achieve its mandate of maintaining international peace and security. One of its most controversial tools is the veto, which gives its five permanent members (the “P5”: the U.S., China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom) the right to block any resolution from being adopted despite its overall level of support. Critics argue that the P5 are using their veto power to protect their own geopolitical interests at the expense of global peace and security.
This article explores the history of Resolution 242, which was adopted in 1967 after a three-week war between Israel and Egypt over Gaza and the Suez Canal. It calls on Israel to withdraw its troops from territories occupied since the 1956 Suez Crisis, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights; it also establishes the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which remains active today.