Resolutions reflect international consensus rejecting Israeli occupation practices and systematic crimes

RAMALLAH, March 31, 2026 (WAFA) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed two resolutions on Palestine adopted by the Human Rights Council concerning Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan, and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Ministry said the two resolutions reaffirm the illegality of Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, the responsibility of states to ensure the protection of the Palestinian people and their rights, the obligation to refrain from providing any form of assistance to Israel, the occupying power, and the need for concerted international efforts to put an end to the occupation’s serious violations of international law and its daily crimes committed against the Palestinian people.

The ministry described the resolutions as a clear affirmation of international consensus rejecting Israel’s colonial policies. It hailed them as a victory for international law, justice, and human rights—particularly in light of the extremely difficult reality faced by the Palestinian people under the weight of Israeli occupation and its systematic violations.

It underscored the critical significance of these resolutions at a time when Israeli occupation authorities continue to employ a range of measures to consolidate a system of colonization and the illegal annexation of Palestinian land, including settlement expansion, land confiscation, and daily violations against the Palestinian population.

The resolutions are also issued amid a serious escalation represented by the Israeli Knesset’s approval of a law permitting the execution of Palestinian prisoners, reflecting a vengeful and discriminatory mindset and a complete disregard for international humanitarian law and United Nations resolutions, said the ministry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates warned that the absence of effective international accountability for the Israeli government, occupation forces, and colonist groups, along with the continued policy of impunity, have encouraged further serious crimes and grave violations against the Palestinian people, necessitating urgent international action to halt these policies and hold those responsible accountable.

In this context, the ministry expressed its deep appreciation to the states that voted in favor of the resolutions, affirming that their positions demonstrate a genuine commitment to the principles of international law and human rights. Conversely, it called on states that did not support the resolutions to reassess their policies, avoid aligning with the wrong side of history, and stand in support of justice and international legitimacy.

Thirty-four states voted in favor of the resolution on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan, while three voted against it and ten abstained. As for the resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, forty-two states voted in favor, while five abstained.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates renewed its call for the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, take practical and tangible measures to ensure the implementation of these resolutions, end the Israeli occupation, and enable the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and establish their independent, sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.

T.R.