14 June 2018•Update: 14 June 2018
By Afra Aksoy
RAMALLAH, Palestine
President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed the UN General Assembly resolution adopted on Wednesday that urges protection for Palestinians.
“It is a victory for justice and international law,” Abbas told Palestine’s official WAFA news agency.
He also appreciated and thanked the UN member countries who had voted in favor of the resolution.
"The adoption of a resolution in the UN General Assembly demanding protection for the Palestinian people is a great achievement and victory that shows that the world’s nations stand by Palestinian rights,” Foreign Minister Riyadh al-Maliki said.
The Turkish and Algerian-sponsored resolution passed in the General Assembly with 120-8 votes. In all, 45 countries abstained.
The resolution blamed Israel for the recent deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and urged the international community to consider protections for Palestinian civilians.
The countries that voted against the resolution include the U.S., Israel, Australia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Togo, Solomon Islands and Micronesia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.S. had once again been disappointed with the adoption of the resolution.
“This is a major victory for justice and the rights of Palestinians. Turkey will continue to stand by Palestine,” Turkish top aide Ibrahim Kalin also tweeted.
Turkey's EU Minister Omer Celik also tweeted on the UN resolution, saying the UN General Assembly confirmed the lawlessness of Israel.
"It's a historic decision that underlines that Palestine is an issue of the whole world," the minister tweeted.
