The Palestinian people have sovereign ownership of the natural resources in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. A resolution was passed in the United Nations recognizing this issue. The proposal was supported by many countries of the western world. The resolution was passed by the United Nations General Assembly last Thursday.
According to the report of the British media The Guardian, 159 countries out of 193 member countries of the United Nations voted in favor of this resolution. Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom are among these countries. The passage of the resolution is a significant shift away from the UN's long-standing position.
The resolution calls for the recognition of permanent Palestinian sovereignty over the natural resources of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the local sovereignty of Arab communities over the natural resources of the Syrian occupied Golan Heights.
Seven states voted against the resolution, including the United States, Israel and Canada, and 11 abstained. The resolution will now be put to a vote by the UN General Assembly for final approval. This is the first time the Australian government has voted in favor of a Palestinian resolution that recognizes the rights of the Palestinian people.
According to the resolution, the UN General Assembly would be able to demand that the occupying Israeli forces cease exploitation, destruction and destruction of natural resources in Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan.
The draft also states that the resolution would recognize the right of the Palestinian people to claim compensation for any exploitation, damage or endangerment of the natural resources of Palestinian Arabs living in the said territories as a result of illegal actions taken by the occupying State of Israel and Israeli settlers.
After the vote, Palestine's UN representative said the adoption of the resolution represented a firm reaffirmation of the inalienable rights of his people, including sovereignty over natural resources. Israel has been trampling and seriously violating the UN Charter for over a year.
