DaysofPal- A United Nations committee has overwhelmingly adopted a resolution reaffirming the Palestinian people’s permanent sovereignty over their natural resources and calling on the Israeli occupation to cease exploiting them.
The resolution, introduced by the Group of 77 and China, received 152 votes in favor, including support from all European Union member states and Canada.
Eight countries—the United States, the Israeli occupation, Nauru, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Paraguay, and Argentina—voted against it, while 12 nations abstained.
Adopted by the UN General Assembly’s Second Committee, which deals with economic and financial matters, the resolution is titled “Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources.”
The text reaffirms key international principles, including the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians in Time of War to the occupied Palestinian territory and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which recognizes peoples’ rights to freely use and benefit from their natural wealth and resources.
The resolution also references the July 19, 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which concluded that the continued Israeli presence and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law. It further recalls the 2004 ICJ advisory opinion declaring the Israeli separation wall unlawful due to its construction on occupied Palestinian land.
By adopting the resolution, the UN committee reiterated the international community’s recognition of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and control over their land, water, and natural resources, and condemned Israeli measures that deprive Palestinians of those rights.
Diplomats described the vote as a reaffirmation of long-standing UN principles and a message of support for Palestinian sovereignty amid ongoing Israeli settlement expansion and resource exploitation in the occupied territories.
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