UN committee backs Palestinian sovereignty over natural resources

The UN General Assembly's Second Committee, which handles economic and financial matters, adopted a resolution on Wednesday affirming Palestinian sovereignty over natural resources, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The draft, submitted by the Group of 77 and China, received 151 votes in favor, including all European Union member states and Canada.

Seven countries voted against it: the United States, Israel, Colombia, Paraguay, Palau, Nauru and Micronesia, while 11 abstained.

The text affirms that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the occupied Palestinian territory and recalls the International Court of Justice's 2004 opinion on the separation wall in the occupied West Bank.

It also refers to the court's July 19, 2024, advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's policies in the occupied territory, including what it describes as the illegality of Israel's continued presence there.

The resolution affirms the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to their natural resources and demands that Israel stop exploiting them.

It further affirms the right of Palestinians to seek restitution for Israel's exploitation of those resources, and states that settlements, the wall and other actions are harmful to the Palestinian environment.

The text also reaffirms Security Council Resolution 2334, which calls on all states to distinguish between the territory of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.

Riyad Mansour, Palestine's Permanent Observer to the United Nations, said the vote "once again underscores" international support for Palestinian rights, and he commended the countries that voted in favor.

General Assembly resolutions are recommendations and are not legally binding, although they carry significant political weight in the UN system.

The International Court of Justice issued its 2024 advisory opinion in response to a request from the General Assembly.