RAMALLAH, December 4, 2024 (WAFA) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed Wednesday the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of two pro-Palestine resolutions.

The General Assembly adopted the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” resolution with an overwhelming majority, the ministry said in a statement, adding that 57 countries voted in favour of the resolution, 7 countries abstained, and 8 countries voted against it.

The ministry also welcomed the adoption of a resolution titled “Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat”, with 101 countries voting in favour of the resolution, 42 countries abstaining, and 27 against.

It stressed the importance of these resolutions in emphasizing the need to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and to achieve the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people as they, along with international law, are the basis for any solution to the Palestinian issue.

It affirmed that the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” resolution adopted the mechanism for holding an international peace conference, provided that this conference be under the auspices of the UN General Assembly during the seventy-ninth session, in order to implement the United Nations resolutions pertaining to the question of Palestine and the two-State solution for the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, noting that Saudi Arabia and France will chair this conference in June 2025.

The Ministry thanked Saudi Arabia and France for chairing the conference for its importance in determining the mechanisms for collective action to resolve the Palestinian issue, and to quickly chart an irreversible path towards a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and implementing the two-state solution.

It stressed that the second resolution titled Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat confirmed in its operative part “requests the Division to commemorate the anniversary of the Nakba, including by organizing annual events and through the dissemination of relevant archives and testimonies.”

It also expressed thanks to the countries that supported and sponsored the resolutions, those that voted in favour of them, and singled out those countries that changed their votes in favour.

It called on all states that voted against the resolutions to review their stances and join the international consensus in order to restore hope in peace and stability in the Middle East.

It reiterated that no lasting peace in the region will be possible without ending the Israeli occupation, the realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of the independent, sovereign State of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital.

A.D./ K.F.