NEW YORK, December 16, 2025 (WAFA) – The United Nations General Assembly adopted by an overwhelming majority the draft resolution entitled: “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.”
156 countries voted in favor of the resolution, while 8 voted against it, and 10 abstained.
The resolution affirms a number of legal principles and foundations related to Palestinian natural resources, including the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to the occupied Palestinian territory, in addition to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The resolution also refers to the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024, concerning the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the illegality of its continued presence therein. It also recalls the ICJ’s advisory opinion concerning the wall.
The draft resolution affirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to their natural resources, demanding that Israel cease exploiting these resources and emphasizing the Palestinian people's right to compensation for such exploitation. It also stressed that Israel's colonial construction, the building of the wall, and other practices constitute harmful actions against the Palestinian environment.
The resolution reiterated the Security Council's call, as expressed in Resolution 2334, for states to distinguish between the territory of the State of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, expressed his deep gratitude to the states that voted in favor of the resolution, commending this overwhelming support and growing sympathy from the international community, particularly in light of the ongoing genocidal aggression that Israel continues to wage against our people in the Gaza Strip, in addition to its continued aggression in the West Bank. He emphasized the necessity of compelling Israel to implement this resolution.
K.T
