The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution affirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, freedom from Israeli occupation, and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.
The measure received overwhelming support, with 170 member states voting in favour and only 6 against.
The resolution, titled “The Right of the Palestinian People to Self-Determination,” declares these rights to be inalienable, unconditional, and non-negotiable. It explicitly rejects any Israeli-imposed “security measures” as preconditions to these fundamental rights.
Drawing on the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, the resolution reinforces the illegality of the Israeli occupation and demands its immediate end. This is fundamental to enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and achieve statehood, according to the resolution.
The countries that voted against the resolution included Israel, the US, Argentina, Micronesia, Nauru and Paraguay. There were 9 abstentions (Kiribati, Liberia, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu)
Countries urged to actively support Palestine
The Assembly called upon all states and UN agencies to actively support the Palestinian people in realising their right to self-determination.
The representative of Egypt, which introduced the draft resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, emphasised that Palestinians have the inherent right to determine their own political, cultural, and economic development without foreign control or intimidation.
The representative also commended nations that recently recognised the State of Palestine.
“There is no derogation from the exercise of the right to self-determination,” declared the Observer for the State of Palestine.
The Observer highlighted how Israel’s unlawful occupation systematically violates and suppresses Palestinians’ ability to exercise this fundamental right, stating: “The Israeli Government claims the right to occupy, build settlements, annex our land and forcibly displace our people.”
Israel’s representative characterised the resolution as “political in nature” and an “example of double standards” against their country.
The discussion drew broad support from other delegates to the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination while condemning Israel’s occupation, genocide and indiscriminate killings in Gaza.
Several speakers expressed disappointment that Palestine has yet to achieve full membership status at the United Nations.
