The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday adopted a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian territory, with Pakistan, which voted in favour of the text, reiterating that Palestinians must be allowed to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.

The resolution, titled ‘Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine’, was adopted with 151 countries voting in favour, 11 voting against and 11 abstaining, according to the summary posted by the UN.

According to the summary, the UNGA, through the resolution, “stressed the need for urgent, collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final status issues in the Middle East peace process and called for the timely convening of an international conference in Moscow — as envisioned by Security Council resolution 1850 (2008) — to advance a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement”.

“The Assembly also called on both parties to act responsibly, urgently reverse negative trends and create the conditions necessary for a credible political horizon and the advancement of peace efforts,” it said.

It also called on Israel to “comply strictly with its international law obligations, including by ending its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, ceasing all new settlement activities and evacuating all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory”.

Addressing Israel’s presence in the West Bank, the UNGA “rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in Gaza and stressed the importance of unifying the strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority without delay”.

“Additionally, the Assembly called for Israel’s withdrawal from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, the realisation of the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights — primarily the right to self-determination — and a just resolution of the problem of Palestinian refugees,” it said.

World must turn promises into action, says Pakistan’s UN envoy

Speaking during the UNGA debate, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said, “Today’s resolution is more than a statement of principle. It is a reminder that the world must now turn promises into action.”

Calling for the realisation of an independent Palestinian state, Ambassador Iftikhar said, “Pakistan’s solidarity with the Palestinian people is steadfast, and we stand with them in their legitimate struggle for dignity, justice and self-determination.”

He further said that voting in favour of the resolution reflected Pakistan’s “long-standing and principled position on this matter”.

The UN envoy further said that the momentum generated at Sharm El-Sheikh, where the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was signed, must be sustained, particularly by advancing Palestinian-led governance, reconstruction and institution building, emphasising the role of the Palestinian Authority as “central”.

“Peace cannot be shaped without the direct involvement and ownership of the Palestinian people,” he stressed.

He further said that the Gaza ceasefire must be “implemented fully, with no unilateral actions or military activity”, calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

He added that full humanitarian access should also be guaranteed to the Palestinian enclave.

“With winter approaching and large parts of Gaza destroyed, the population needs sustained life-saving assistance.

“Any obstruction of aid violates international humanitarian law and must not be allowed under any pretext,” he said, adding that reconstruction of the ravaged Gaza Strip should begin without delay.

He said that there must be no annexation, no forced displacement, and no division of occupied lands, adding that Gaza’s territorial integrity and its contiguity with the West Bank were fundamental to a viable, sovereign and independent Palestinian state.

He further said that all settlement activity should stop.

“Efforts to change the demographic or legal character of the occupied territories, including around Al-Haram Al-Sharif, are illegal and must end,” he said.

He added that in order to “break the cycle of violence”, it was necessary to end the Israeli occupation of all Arab territories, including in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.

“The imperative of a political horizon — a credible, time-bound political process anchored in relevant UN resolutions, leading to a sovereign, independent and contiguous State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” he said.