Palestine hails 'historic' UN General Assembly vote on Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestine on Wednesday hailed the UN General Assembly's approval of a resolution demanding Israel withdraw from occupied territories within 12 months, calling it a sign of hope for the Palestinian people.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made the remarks in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA following Wednesday’s General Assembly vote. The resolution was passed with 124 votes in favor and 14 against.

Abbas praised the UN General Assembly's emergency session for reaching a "historic consensus" in adopting a resolution based on the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) legal opinion calling for an end to Israeli occupation.

“The international consensus on this resolution renews hope for our Palestinian people, who are facing widespread aggression and genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, to achieve their aspirations of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Abbas said.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement, emphasizing that the vote reflects a growing international momentum demanding an end to the occupation and accountability for Israel's violations of international laws.

The ministry urged nations to act swiftly to implement the resolution and use legal tools to hold Israel accountable.

Earlier on Wednesday, the UN General Assembly approved the resolution, which was the first submitted by Palestine since it gained additional rights following a General Assembly vote in May.

Palestine has held observer status at the UN since a 2012 General Assembly vote granted it “non-member observer” status.

Wednesday’s vote comes as Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 41,300 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,500 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio