The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed on Wednesday the adoption of a series of resolutions in favor of Palestine by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s Fourth Committee.
The ministry stated in a communiqué that the broad and unprecedented international support for the resolutions “reflects the place of the Palestinian cause in the world’s conscience and constitutes a clear rejection of the policies of the Zionist colonial occupation.” It added that “the overwhelming vote affirms the international community’s rejection of annexation, colonization, forced displacement, collective punishment, and the widespread destruction of infrastructure in the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as the genocide in the Gaza Strip, considering these practices grave violations of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and UN Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2334.”
The ministry stressed that the adoption of these resolutions “comes at a highly critical moment, given the crimes of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement faced by the Palestinian people, and the systematic violations committed by the occupation authorities in the West Bank, including Al-Quds, and in the besieged Gaza Strip, including illegal settlement, annexation, land seizure, and the destruction of property and infrastructure, in blatant violation of international law, the UN Charter, and the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
It considered the significance of these international resolutions to lie in their reaffirmation of the centrality of the Palestinian refugees’ cause and their inalienable rights, primarily the right to return to their homes and properties and to receive compensation for them, and their clear rejection of all Zionist attempts to erase or circumvent these rights.
It further stated that the adoption of these resolutions reaffirms the international community’s rejection of Zionist colonial practices, including settlement activity, annexation, and efforts to alter the geographic and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territories. The resolutions call for the immediate halt of all colonial activities, considering them illegal, null, and void under international law and UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334.
The UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee adopted on Wednesday a new resolution supporting Palestinian refugees and renewing the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The resolution was approved by 149 countries, with 10 opposing and 13 abstaining, expressing the General Assembly’s regret that Palestinian refugees have not been able to return to their homes or receive compensation, and emphasizing that their situation remains a matter of serious concern.
The UN General Assembly’s 3rd Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs adoptd the annual resolution affirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and their right to independence and to live in their homeland free from Zionist occupation, regarding this right as inalienable, unconditional, with no reserves, and not subject to compromise or negotiation.
