During its longest session in history, the UN Human Rights Council passed resolutions in favor of Palestine.
On Friday, the Council’s 49th session, which took place at the United Nations from February 28 to April 1, passed 35 resolutions, three of which were anti-Israel.
The resolutions were proposed by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and passed with a majority of votes.
The first resolution, which reaffirmed Palestinians’ right to self-determination, had 41 votes in favor, three votes against (including the United Kingdom and the United States), and three abstentions.
The second resolution, which denounced Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Syrian Golan, was passed with 38 votes in favor, 4 votes against (including the United Kingdom and the United States), and 5 abstentions.
The third resolution denounced Israel’s human rights violations on occupied territory, particularly the Syrian Golan, and asked Tel Aviv to end “repressive actions” against occupied communities. The motion passed with 29 votes in favor, 15 votes against (including France, the Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and three abstentions.
States were asked to reject recognition and assistance for Israel’s human rights violations and to stand for Palestinians in their fight for independence.
“In a resolution on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, the council reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to live in freedom, justice, and dignity, as well as their right to an independent State of Palestine,” according to the council.
The five-week session was the longest in the UN Human Rights Council’s history, according to Federico Villegas, its President.
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attack Palestinian schoolchildren.
In a statement, Palestine’s foreign ministry expressed gratitude for the support, citing “the member nations’ firm stand on the significance of accountability of the Israeli colonial and apartheid system.”
“The international consensus and votes in favor of Palestine’s resolutions are a sort of protection for the Palestinian people and the preservation of their rights, which will eventually lead to the demolition of the Palestinian Authority.”
“The worldwide agreement and support for Palestine’s resolutions is a kind of protection for the Palestinian people and preservation of their rights, which will eventually lead to the downfall of Israel’s apartheid government,” the ministry stated.
Israel seized the West Bank in 1967 and has since approved the construction of hundreds of settlements in the occupied territory, which the international community considers illegal.
According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, there are currently around 380,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, with over 40% of them living outside of settlement blocs.
Settlers frequently intimidate and attack Palestinians in the West Bank.
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