Nigeria and 150 Countries Back UN Resolution for Palestinian Rights

The United Nations General Assembly's Second Committee adopted a draft resolution on Wednesday. This resolution supports the rights of the Palestinian people over their natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

The draft is called 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. Uruguay introduced it on behalf of the Group of 77 and China during the committee’s 81st session.

A total of 151 countries voted in favor of the resolution. African nations like Nigeria, Niger, Kenya, Ghana, Liberia, and Mali supported it.

Seven countries opposed it, and 11 countries abstained from voting. The countries that voted against the resolution were Israel, the US, Colombia, Paraguay, Palau, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

The resolution asks Israel to stop exploiting natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan. It also acknowledges the right of the Palestinian people to seek compensation for any damage or loss of their natural resources caused by Israel and its settlers.

This is the latest UN resolution about the territorial rights of the Palestinian people. The committee also urged Israel to stop harmful actions against the environment, like dumping waste in the occupied Palestinian territory and the occupied Syrian Golan.

It called for an end to the destruction of vital infrastructure, such as water pipelines, sewage systems, and electricity networks. This ongoing destruction of civilian infrastructure has been a significant part of Israel’s harmful actions in Gaza.

An Israeli representative requested a recorded vote and criticized the resolution. He argued that it does not help Palestinian development.

The Israeli representative stated that the resolution does not address the root causes of Palestinian economic issues. He also criticized the draft for not mentioning Hamas, which Israel calls a terrorist group.

The US also opposed the resolution, calling it unbalanced and showing what it sees as a persistent bias against Israel.

On the other hand, Riyad Mansour, the State of Palestine’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, welcomed the decision. He said the strong support is a powerful reaffirmation of the rights of the Palestinian people.

Mansour noted that the destruction in Gaza highlights the conflict's effect on the resources and infrastructure needed for survival.

Syria stated that the vote sends a message of international support and shows that the world is paying attention to what is happening in the occupied territories.