Palestine on Friday welcomed a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly that affirms the Palestinian sovereignty over its natural resources.
In a statement, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said: “The voting in favor of the resolution affirms the right and sovereignty of the Palestinian people on their natural resources including lands, water, and energy resources.”
Al-Maliki demanded Israel "to stop exploiting the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory," adding there is "no sovereignty for the (Israeli) occupation on the land of the state of Palestine or on any of its cities."
He also called on the international community "to work to compel the (Israeli) occupation to implement international resolutions and to ensure the freedom of the Palestinian people to benefit from their natural resources."
On Thursday, the UN General Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) approved a resolution, affirming the Palestinian people's permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.
The resolution was approved by 157 countries while seven countries, including the US, Canada, and Israel, voted against the resolution.
* Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara
