The Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, today welcomed the United Nations vote of 87 countries requesting a legal advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the nature of Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories, saying that President Mahmoud Abbas came under pressure to withdraw or postpone the vote, but that he refused and stood his position on going ahead with the vote, which received overwhelming support.
He said in a statement that the vote showed that countries reject the Israeli violations and the occupation of the lands of the State of Palestine by force at a time when the occupying state is evading peace entitlements and avoiding a political horizon by taking advantage of international and global crises.
He stressed that this vote affirms the merit of the Palestinian cause, and the need to hold the occupation accountable, which has repeatedly escaped accountability and sanctions.
The PLO Secretary-General stressed that the international community must move from words to deeds in order to realize the Palestinian rights guaranteed by international laws.
“The vote of 87 countries in favor of the resolution is a victory for the Palestinian rights in light of the policy of double standards,” he said, “which requires the international community to take a firm stance toward the Palestinian cause and implement the resolutions stacked in the drawers of the international organizations.
Al-Sheikh stressed that “a just solution to the Palestinian issue is the key to peace in the Middle East through the two-state solution.”
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency