RAMALLAH, Thursday, November 5, 2020 (WAFA) - Riyad Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, today welcomed the vote in favor of six resolutions for Palestine in the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, considering the vote a clear indication of the position of the international community in favor of the rights of the Palestinian people and refugees.

The resolutions included:

1- Operations of UNRWA: 151 votes in favor and against 5, with 9 countries abstaining.

2- Assistance to Palestinian refugees, with 153 votes in favor, 2 against, and 12 countries abstaining.

3- Palestine refugees’ properties and their revenues, with 151 votes in favor, 6 against, and 8 abstaining.

4- Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Occupied Syrian Golan, 142 votes in favor, 7 against, and 14 states abstained.

5- Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, 138 voted in favor of it, 9 against, and 16 states abstained.

6- Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices: 72 voted in favor of it, 13 against, with 76 states abstained.

Malki stressed the importance of these resolutions and their adoption by the General Assembly, which indicates support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to self-determination, the right of return to refugees based on UN Resolution 194, and the preservation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees until their return is achieved.

He thanked the countries that voted in favor of these resolutions, including member states of the European Union, and called on the countries that opposed the resolutions and those that retracted their positions and took backward steps to respect international law.

M.K.