New York: The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution to call for efforts to solve the issue of Palestine.
The resolution reiterated the assembly’s call for, without delay, of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions and for an end to the Israeli occupation and reaffirmed its unwavering support for a two-state solution.
It stressed the need to urgently exert collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final-status issues in the Middle East peace process and called once more for the intensification of efforts by the parties toward the conclusion of a final just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement.
It also called for a timely convening of an international conference in Moscow for advancing and accelerating the achievement of a settlement.
The resolution called on both parties to act responsibly in order to urgently reverse negative trends and create the conditions necessary for a credible political horizon and the advancement of peace efforts.
It called on Israel to comply strictly with its obligations under international law and to cease all of its measures that are contrary to international law, including all unilateral actions in the occupied Palestinian territory that are aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the territory and thus at prejudging the final outcome of peace negotiations.
It stressed the need, in particular, for an immediate halt to all settlement activities, land confiscation and home demolitions, for the pursuit of measures to ensure accountability, and for the release of prisoners and an end to arbitrary arrests and detentions.
It further stressed the need for an immediate and complete cessation of all acts of violence, including military attacks, destruction and acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation and incitement.
The resolution called for Israel’s withdrawal from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem; the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination and the right to their independent state; and a just resolution of the problem of Palestine refugees.
It also urged all states and the United Nations to continue and expedite the provision of economic, humanitarian and technical assistance to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian government in order to help alleviate the serious humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, to rehabilitate the Palestinian economy and infrastructure and to support the development and strengthening of Palestinian institutions and Palestinian state-building efforts in preparation for independence.
The resolution was adopted with 153 votes in favor, nine against and 10 abstentions.
