The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted two resolutions on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the illegality of settlements.
This came at the conclusion of the Council’s 49th session in Geneva, Switzerland, according to what the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
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The statement quoted Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki as saying that “the adoption by the Rights Council of the two resolutions by a large majority is a positive sign and a step in the right path to prove that international law must not be divided.”
Al-Maliki added, “International law must be implemented in order for our people to obtain their rights, and to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity.
Chief among them are the war crimes and apartheid (the apartheid regime) and confronting the colonial settlement system.”
According to the statement, 38 countries voted in favor of the “settlement resolution in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.”
Five countries abstained, namely Ukraine, Lithuania, Brazil, Cameroon and Honduras, and 4 countries voted against, namely the United States, Britain, the Marshall Islands and Malawi.
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41 countries voted in favor of the resolution “The Palestinian People’s Right to Self-Determination”, and 3 countries abstained.
They are Lithuania, Cameroon and Honduras, and the 3 countries that voted against are the United States, Britain and the Marshall Islands.
Al-Maliki called on countries that did not support the two resolutions to “stop the policy of double standards and claim that they are part of any ethical international contract.”
He considered that “these countries are not entrusted with international law, and their position is aligned with the crimes of the occupation and is part of the outdated legacy of colonialism and apartheid.”
He pointed out that “the adoption of the decision of the illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory confirms the need to stop supporting and boycotting them, leading to their immediate dismantling and removal.”
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He stressed the need to “ban settlements’ goods and stop commercial and military dealings.
As well as any services or funds that strengthen this colonial system because it violates the rules of international law that all countries of the world have committed to.”
He pointed out the need to “not deal with the settlements, directly or indirectly.
Its support will contribute to strengthening the occupier’s colonialism and the apartheid system in the occupied territory of the State of Palestine.”
And he called for “the implementation of the resolutions of international legitimacy and its institutions, and the provision of protection for the Palestinian people, leading to the implementation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”
In its statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry did not provide more details about the content of the two resolutions.
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About 666,000 Israeli settlers are distributed in 145 large settlements and 140 random outposts (not licensed by the Israeli government) in the West Bank.
Including East Jerusalem, according to the statements of the Israeli human rights movement “Peace Now”.
