Massive UN Support for the Palestinian People's Right to Self-Determination

SadaNews - The United Nations, through its committee concerned with human rights and humanitarian affairs under the General Assembly, adopted its annual resolution affirming the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and their right to independence and living freely in their homeland, liberated from Israeli occupation, as a non-negotiable right that is not subject to any conditions or reservations.

The resolution reaffirmed what was established by the International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion regarding the illegality of the Israeli occupation and the demand for its immediate end, as it constitutes an obstacle to the Palestinian people's ability to exercise their right to self-determination and the independence of their state.

164 countries voted in favor of the resolution, including Canada, Australia, all European Union countries, and the majority of South American, Asian, and African countries, while only 7 countries voted against it: Israel, the United States, Argentina, Paraguay, Micronesia, and Papua New Guinea, with 9 countries abstaining from voting.

The significance of this resolution is highlighted by the fact that it comes amidst attempts by the Israeli occupation to displace the Palestinian people and annex Palestinian land, entrenching the illegal Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip. This represents a widespread international rejection of these crimes and a call to rely on international law when considering the Palestinian issue in all its aspects, without any double standards, and without obstructing the course of international justice, as recognized by international courts.

In this context, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine at the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, affirmed Palestine's determination to continue enhancing international support for the rights of the Palestinian people, especially in light of the oppression and persecution they suffer from the Israeli occupation, in order to counter all Israeli attempts aimed at undermining this international legal support in international forums, until the occupation is ended, justice is achieved, and the Palestinian people and their land are protected from the crimes of occupation, including forced displacement, land annexation, settlement construction, and settler terrorism.

He also reiterated the commitment to make all possible efforts to ensure the cessation of the genocide in the Gaza Strip and the continued entry of humanitarian aid, and to ensure its adequate and effective distribution to save the lives of Palestinian civilians and move towards reconstruction and restoring normal life in Gaza.

He renewed his gratitude to the countries that voted in favor of the resolution and called on them to work diligently to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to break free from the Israeli occupation, in accordance with the advisory ruling of the International Court of Justice, which affirmed the illegitimacy of the Israeli occupation and the necessity of ending it as soon as possible without any delay, as the only path to achieving security, peace, and stability in the Middle East.