The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates today welcomed the international consensus and the overwhelming vote of the Member States of the United Nations on Friday on a resolution about the Israeli practices that affect the human rights of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, “despite the failed attempts of the Israeli colonial occupation and a few of its unethical cohorts, who fear international law and its institutions, to pressure and blackmail countries to change their vote, using cheap tricks to discourage countries from attending the General Assembly and voting on the last working day of the calendar year. But the countries that are consistent with their principles that reject these policies stood with the Palestinian right and raised their voice high by voting in favor of the resolution with 87 in favor, 53 abstentions and 26 countries opposed.”
The Foreign Ministry stressed in a statement the importance of this resolution, which includes the Palestinian request from the International Court of Justice for a legal advisory opinion “on the nature and form of this long-term illegal colonial occupation, and the need to define the responsibilities and duties of the international community as a whole, third parties, and the UN organization in ending this occupation and its crimes. This is what Israel and its supporters fear, which is to expose their complicity and violation of their duties and obligations. Resorting to the most important institution of international justice is consistent with the Palestinian narrative based on international law and the basic rights of the Palestinian people in facing the false narrative of the occupiers.”
The Ministry thanked and expressed its gratitude to the countries that supported and sponsored the resolution and those that stood firm on their positions and voted in favor of it. It saluted everyone who contributed to this historic achievement and called on the countries that did not support the resolution to reconsider their positions and abide by their international legal responsibilities under international law and not to stand on the wrong side of history, which encourages the Israeli occupation and colonialism to continue its crimes and violations of the UN Charter and international resolutions.
It expressed its dismay at all dismal attempts to change the vote of countries, especially the attempts of the United States and the United Kingdom, rejecting the positions of countries that changed their previous vote before the Fourth Committee to a negative vote in a precedent that is harmful and sabotaging the status of the United Nations and its committees.
The Foreign Ministry considered the vote “a Palestinian and international diplomatic and legal victory and achievement, and a cumulative act of Palestinian diplomacy led by President Mahmoud Abbas, which is based on the tireless work of the Palestinian Foreign Ministry and its missions abroad, and national and international jurists, and accumulated on the outputs of international legal reports, by Palestinian and international jurists and academics.”
It concluded its statement by saying, “This historic decision will open a new era for holding Israel accountable in the implementation of the decisions of the Palestinian leadership and the speech of the President at the United Nations. The Palestinian diplomacy and its missions abroad are following a legal strategy to confront the Israeli occupation and its crimes, leading to the dismantling of this colonial regime and apartheid, and to expose and hold accountable all parties that encourage and support this illegal regime on the land of the occupied State of Palestine, including Jerusalem, and the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the right to self-determination, independence, and return of refugees.”
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency